On February 13–14, UAnimals, in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General, held a training for law enforcement officers. For the first time in Ukraine, those responsible for the pre-trial investigation of animal cruelty cases improved their skills.
A total of 27 investigators and prosecutors delved into the following topics:
- the legal liability for crimes against animals;
- how to classify criminal offenses related to animal cruelty;
- how to conduct examinations and investigative actions, collect, and present evidence in such cases.
Participants learned about the experience of European Union countries and analyzed Ukrainian court practices in criminal proceedings related to animal cruelty. They also worked on practical case studies.
The speakers included UAnimals lawyer Anastasiia Hevchuk, international expert on animal crimes Mark Randell, Igor Shkolnyi from the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, and others.
“Cases of animal cruelty are usually addressed due to public outcry. Our training demonstrates that law enforcement is willing to change its approach to investigating such cases and understands the importance of this area. Many participants were actively working on such investigations during the training,” said Olga Chevhaniuk, co-organizer of the event and Head of Strategic Initiatives at UAnimals.
As a result of the training, UAnimals and the Office of the Prosecutor General will publish an electronic training manual that will be available to all prosecutors in Ukraine.
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