Interaction between Patrol Police and the Public in the System of Ensuring Public Safety

Abstract

The article examines the administrative-legal and social foundations of patrol police interaction with the population in the system of ensuring public safety in Ukraine. The study analyzes the regulatory framework governing the partnership model of policing, including the Law of Ukraine "On the National Police," subordinate legislation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and international standards of democratic policing developed by the Council of Europe, OSCE, and UNODC. The concepts of "public safety," "public order," and "interaction" as a metacategory encompassing both service and control modes of police activity are elucidated; the necessity of hierarchical alignment of related terms in legal discourse is substantiated. The forms, methods, and instruments of patrol police interaction with the population are investigated, including community policing practices (school police officer, community police officer), digital communication channels (particularly the "My Pol" mobile application), and de-escalation techniques tested with the support of the EU Advisory Mission. Particular attention is devoted to the concept of procedural justice as a key factor in building trust and police legitimacy; the mediating role of social identity in the relationship between perceived fairness and legitimacy recognition is demonstrated. Based on empirical data from sociological surveys by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the Razumkov Centre, and the Rating Group, the dynamics of public trust in the police in Ukraine during 2016–2024 are analyzed, with comparisons to European Union indicators based on Eurobarometer data. The specifics of interaction under martial law conditions are examined separately: risks of drift from the partnership model toward a directive style are identified, mechanisms for preserving procedural guarantees are defined, and the potential of new forms of local cooperation is explored. A model of procedurally managed partnership is substantiated, combining democratic policing standards, communicative procedure instruments, and local institutionalization of partnership in communities. Recommendations for improving the regulatory framework of patrol police interaction with the population in the context of post-war recovery and European integration are formulated.