Police officers’ escape during terrorist attack in Kyiv: Dudina was not permanent member of patrol, - Vyhivskyi

Shooting in Kyiv: preventive measure imposed on patrol officer Dudina

Patrol Officer Anna Dudina, who found herself in the middle of a shooting in Kyiv, was working in the department’s administrative office at the time and was not assigned to regular patrols as part of a response team.

This was reported by Ivan Vyhivskyi, Head of the National Police of Ukraine, during a briefing, according to Censor.NET, citing "Suspilne."

What did Vyhivskyi say about Dudina?

As Vyhivskyi explained, due to a shortage of personnel, employees who do not normally work "in the field" are sometimes assigned to patrol duty.

"She is a patrol officer, but she worked in the office rather than on the line. She was called in as reinforcement; she was not on duty on a permanent basis," he clarified.

Dudina herself stated in court during the hearing on the imposition of a preventive measure that she does not admit to professional negligence and considers the motion against her to be unfair.

Staff shortages and pay

Vyhivskyi noted that the patrol police is currently understaffed by about 25%, and in Kyiv, this figure is even higher. As a result, the police are forced to quickly reallocate resources to respond to calls.

He also highlighted the issue of law enforcement pay. According to him, the police are currently not competitive with other law enforcement agencies, and the level of salaries contributes to staff turnover.

"Of course, it's not just about the money, but people are looking for better opportunities. When you earn 27,000 and a store security guard earns 30,000, that's a bit of a difference," says Vyhivskyi.

He added that the agency has already drawn conclusions and is reviewing its approaches to police training.

Shooting in Kyiv

As a reminder, on 18 April in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, an unknown man opened fire on people. He then burst into a supermarket and took hostages.
He was shot dead during his arrest.
According to the latest reports, seven people are known to have been killed.
An investigation has been launched under the terrorism act.

Police officers on the run

It was previously reported that police officers fled after the shooting, leaving a victim of the terrorist attack in Kyiv without assistance: Klymenko is demanding an internal investigation.
Vyhivskyi announced that the police officers who fled during the terrorist attack in Kyiv have been suspended. An internal investigation has been launched.
According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, a case has been opened against the police officers for professional negligence during the terrorist attack in Kyiv.
On 21 April, Anna Dudina and her police colleague Mykhailo Drobnytskyi were remanded in custody for 60 days, with the right to post bail of 266,000 UAH.