Police Competence as a Subject of Countering and Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking 23 Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues 2020

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23 J. Legal Ethical & Regul. Isses 1 (2020)
Police Competence as a Subject of Countering and Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking

handle is hein.journals/jnlolletl23 and id is 595 raw text is: Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues

POLICE COMPETENCE AS A SUBJECT OF
COUNTERING AND COMBATING ILLICIT DRUG
TRAFFICKING
Olha Bezpalova, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs
Maryna Dzhafarova, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs
Olena Volkovych, Kherson State University
Kateryna Rudoi, Odesa State University of Internal Affairs
Olga Minchenko, National Academy of Internal Affairs
ABSTRACT
The article is devoted to the investigation of police powers as a subject of countering and
combating illicit drug trafficking. The statistical data confirming that illicit trafficking in
narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, and precursors is one of the most
acute social problems, which damages human health, social sphere of the state, and its national
security in general. The norms of the legislation of Ukraine, in particular the Law of Ukraine
On the National Police, which enshrines the powers of the police bodies in the sphere of
countering and combating crimes in the sphere of drug trafficking, psychotropic substances,
their analogues, and precursors, are considered. It is concluded that the police have significant
powers in the mentioned field. It is noted that in Latin America, society and the state, on the
contrary, cannot count on the police in countering and combating such a negative phenomenon
as drug crime since the police are actually part of the problem and not part of the mechanism for
solving it. It is found out that the activity of the National Police of Ukraine in the field of
countering and combating illicit drug trafficking is restrained by several factors: lack of a
special unit of the authorized person to carry out countering and combating illicit trafficking in
narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, and precursors; low level of
interaction of police with customs and law enforcement agencies; ignoring by the police certain
aspects of crime prevention in the sphere of trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic
substances, their analogues, and precursors.
Keywords: Police, Drug Crime, Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Customs.
INTRODUCTION
Sean et al. note that 130 people die from overdoses annually in the United States in the
current state of development, globalization of such a negative phenomenon as a drug crime,
which significantly lowers the average life expectancy for citizens (Sean et al., 2019). In
addition, in Ukraine, according to the Unified State Report on Criminal Offenses, in 2015,
25,325 crimes in the sphere of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their
analogues, and precursors were recorded, in 2016-22,217, in 2017-29,010, for 8 months 2018-
20,716. It should be noted that the data of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, city of
Sevastopol, and the partially occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions are not taken

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Volume 23, Issue 4, 2020