Transferring the functions of the CCC to the police: why the Ministry of Internal Affairs opposed such an idea

The discussion about who should perform the most controversial part of mobilization work goes beyond a purely departmental dispute, as it also affects the powers of law enforcement agencies, the daily work of the National Police, and the attitude of society to the entire system of forced execution of decisions. Against this background, the reaction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the proposal to transfer the function of searching for and delivering so-called draft evaders to territorial recruitment centers to the police was particularly revealing, since such an idea was perceived sharply negatively within the department.

The impetus for the new discussion was information from Roman Kostenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s specialized committee. According to him, the Ministry of Defense is considering changes that provide for the transfer of part of the powers of the CCC to the National Police. There is no official comment from the Ministry of Defense at this time, but the emergence of such an idea has caused a harsh reaction in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is opposed to the police taking over the work of searching for and delivering people to the CCC. The internal position of the department boils down to the fact that such a step looks ill-considered and more like an attempt to shift a complex problem to another structure than an attempt to rebuild the system.

Ministry employees emphasized that they lack a clear and meaningful discussion of this idea. In their opinion, this is a solution that is being promoted without a sufficiently developed position, although the consequences of such a redistribution of powers will affect a large law enforcement structure that is already working with excessive workload.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that the transfer of some of the functions of the CCC of the police looks like an attempt by the Ministry of Defense to get rid of a problematic area of ​​work. The Ministry of Internal Affairs perceives this approach critically, since it does not resolve contradictions within the mobilization system itself, but transfers the conflicting function to another institution, which is already entrusted with a significant amount of wartime duties.

From this position, the main objection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is visible: the department does not see such a decision as a new model of work, but instead sees the problem as moving from one center of responsibility to another. That is why the reaction of the publication’s interlocutors turned out to be so harsh, because for them it is a change that can weaken one system without correcting another.

A separate argument of the Ministry of Internal Affairs concerns the fact that the full-scale war has already expanded the range of tasks of the National Police, which operates far beyond the pre-war functionality. The Ministry draws attention to the fact that each new function added to the police dilutes its basic responsibilities and forces the system to distract from those areas where specialized law enforcement work is needed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs raised the question: if the police take over the functions of other bodies, then who will perform its own work at this time. For the police, this is a practical remark on the logic of the reform, because expanding powers without reviewing resources, workload and priorities can hit the daily work of the police itself.

Another line of objections concerns professional specificity. The Ministry of Internal Affairs recalled that a CCC employee cannot investigate crimes, conduct operational actions or prepare special operations, because this requires specific knowledge, training and experience. From this they draw a counter-conclusion: the police should also not be treated as a structure that can be painlessly overloaded with other people’s functions without losing the quality of its main work. Specialists capable of working in complex law enforcement areas do not appear instantly, so each additional load on the police is also assessed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to the risk of weakening those areas where replacing or compensating personnel is particularly difficult.

In addition, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized that after the end of the war, the challenges for the police will become more, not fewer. This thesis embodies the ministry’s attitude to the longer term: even if the transfer of part of the functions of the CCC is presented today as a tool for solving current difficulties, the consequences of such a decision may be much broader both in time and in terms of impact on the system.

It is important for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to maintain the controllability of the National Police during a period when the load on the law enforcement system will continue to grow. Because of this, the ministry views the proposal not only as a technical change within the mobilization process, but as a solution that can affect the stability of the largest law enforcement structure in the country.

Separately, the Ministry of Internal Affairs drew attention to the consequences for the reputation of the National Police, believing that transferring part of the powers of the CCC to it could affect the trust of citizens, because in this case the police would begin to be associated with another of the most conflicting elements of the mobilization system. For the ministry, this is one of the most sensitive aspects, because public trust in the police directly affects its ability to perform basic functions – from responding to crimes to daily interaction with people. That is why the Ministry of Internal Affairs spoke out especially harshly, stating that it is impossible to solve the issue of mobilization at the expense of the police. In their opinion, such an idea will not give the expected result, but may destabilize the structure on which the safety of people throughout the country depends.