MPs will allow National Guard to run dogs to detain violators

The Verkhovna Rada intends to allow the National Guard to use service dogs to detain administrative violators and patrolling.

243 MPs out of the minimum required 226 voted for the adoption in the first reading of the bill 10311 "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the National Guard of Ukraine" regarding the improvement of the legal basis for the use of coercive measures by servicemen of the National Guard of Ukraine," Ukrainian News Agency reports.

The bill allows National Guard soldiers to use service dogs during: a) patrolling; b) surface inspection or inspection of persons, things, goods (cargo), vehicles; c) pursuit and detention of a person who committed an administrative offense or is suspected of committing a criminal offense; d) protection of military facilities of the National Guard of Ukraine, facilities protected by it, special cargo; e) repelling an attack on a person and/or a serviceman, as well as on military facilities of the National Guard of Ukraine, facilities protected by it, special cargo, civilian facilities; e) release of a person illegally deprived of liberty or prisoners of war, as well as captured military facilities of the National Guard of Ukraine, facilities protected by it, special cargo, civilian facilities, prevention (obstructing) of such capture; f) cessation of mass riots; g) demining.

However, the bill prohibits a National Guard serviceman from: 1) hitting a person with rubber (plastic) truncheons on the head, neck, collarbone area, genitals, lower back (coccyx) and stomach; 2) use handcuffs for more than two hours continuously or without easing their pressure; 3) during the use of means equipped with tear and irritant substances, to aim fire at people, to scatter and fire grenades into the crowd, to repeatedly use them within the affected zone during the period of action of such substances; 4) shoot cartridges equipped with non-lethal rubber or throwing projectiles similar in their properties, in violation of the requirements defined by the technical characteristics regarding the distance from the person and shooting in the direction of the person's head.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the National Guard will be allowed to stop cars and use stun guns to detain citizens.