Blog Post
Ukraine: ICITAP-Trained Community Police Prevent Illegal Burning Across Country
On April 12, the ICITAP-Ukraine mission provided an update on the impact of the ICITAP-trained Territorial Community Police Officers (TCPO) work in Ukraine's rural regions to prevent numerous wildfires. TCPOs have conducted a series of community awareness activities to prevent uncontrolled burns, which have the potential to spread quickly during the dry season. In a countrywide effort to prevent fires like those that ravaged the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the Spring of 2020, TCPOs are focusing prevention efforts on illegal burning by rural residents for farming or rubbish disposal that is common this time of year. In the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, TCPOs discovered a fire burning in a pasture approaching nearby buildings. Before fire rescue arrived, the officers worked quickly to fight the fire with their extinguishers to help contain the blaze. In Cherkasy, a TCPO spotted a fire burning along a riverbank and implemented measures to stop its spread. He was able to identify the culprit successfully, and she was fined accordingly. In Kharkiv, another TCPO worked to control a blaze while waiting for fire rescue to arrive. In Rivne, TCPOs and firefighters posted warning signs in common burning zones that reminded residents of the fines for violating the law. Since last year, sanctions for burning vegetation have increased. In Ukraine, ICITAP works with the support of and in coordination with the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Updated January 20, 2025