Ukrainians are asking to create the Zoo Police: the petition has gathered the necessary votes

According to the author of the petition, the police officers do not always go to the relevant calls.

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A petition on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers calling for the establishment of a Zoo Police unit within the structure of the National Police received 25,000 votes.

According to the government’s website, the petition was submitted on March 6.

In the text, the author of the petition – the president of the Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine, Maryna Surkova – writes that every year there are new cases of cruelty to animals.

At the same time, the police, in her opinion, “do not possess a sufficient level of knowledge” or are inactive “because they consider animals worthy of their attention.”

In the Zoo Police unit, law enforcement officers must have special knowledge and skills in the field of handling animals.

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According to Surkova, law enforcement officers do not know how to carry out investigative actions within the framework of criminal proceedings under the article on animal cruelty (299 of the Criminal Code). In addition, they do not always go to the relevant calls.

The signatories of the petition ask the Cabinet of Ministers to create a specialized unit of the Zoo Police in the National Police, whose representatives will have special knowledge and skills in the field of handling animals.

According to the author, Zoo Police officers could:

▲ draw up administrative protocols on cruelty to animals;

▲ open criminal proceedings under the relevant article and conduct a pre-trial investigation;

▲ temporarily remove animals from their owners;

▲ and monitor compliance by animal owners with the rules of their keeping.

Now the petition must be considered by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Earlier we reported that animal cruelty was probably exposed in Kyiv – the residents of a house in the Desnyan district installed bars on the windows of the basement where cats lived.

As a result, two kittens died, and other locked animals were rescued by local volunteers.

The organization Help Animals Of Ukraine called the police, and they opened criminal proceedings, but the animal rescuers are preparing a statement about the inaction of the law enforcement officers.