Force used against taxi driver and passenger during notification activities in Kropyvnytskyi: SBI investigates police actions. VIDEO
Police officers who were part of a notification group in Kropyvnytskyi may have used force against a taxi driver and his female passenger without justification.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
Details
The investigation was launched following a video shared on social media.
An investigation was launched based on a video circulated on social media.
"The footage shows law enforcement officers forcibly pulling the taxi driver out of the vehicle. It also shows force being used against his passenger and profane language directed at her," the statement reads.
Investigators are establishing all the circumstances of the incident and assessing whether the officers’ actions were lawful.
The Bureau has opened criminal proceedings over the possible unjustified use of force by law enforcement officers.
The offence is punishable by up to eight years in prison.
What is the police saying?
Kirovohrad region police spokesperson Oksana Kovtunenko said that police officers stopped a vehicle at a checkpoint on 12 August. During the inspection, they determined that the driver had violated military registration rules, after which he was taken to a Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support.
Andrii Dibrova, head of the regional department of the National Police, told Suspilne that he had ordered an internal investigation into the officers’ actions during the driver’s detention.
"I initiated an internal investigation. Police officers must not communicate in this manner. Everyone involved in the incident will be held accountable. I have suspended these officers from duty for the duration of the investigation," he added.
