The article defines the need to make changes to the regulatory and legal acts on the handling of weapons by personnel of bodies and institutions for the execution of punishments, taking into account the need to provide firearms and special equipment and training in the rules and methods of applying elements of physical security, which in turn are a component of general security in penitentiary institutions for the transition to the latest, modern types of weapons according to NATO standards.

It is noted that in order to ensure the security of places of deprivation of liberty is one of the main tasks defined by legislative and other normative legal acts of Ukraine (in particular, the Criminal Code of Ukraine, laws of Ukraine: “On State Criminal and Executive Service”, “On pre-trial detention”, rules of internal procedure of institutions for the execution of punishments and the rules of the internal procedure of pretrial detention centers of the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine), which are in front of the personnel of bodies and institutions for the execution of punishments.

In today’s realities, Order of the State Department on Issues of Execution of Punishments of the penitentiary institutions No. 86 dated May 17, 2001. “Small arms shooting course for members of the rank and command staff of the Criminal and Executive System” has lost its relevance against the background of the reform of the penitentiary service system with the need to switch to the latest, modern weapons in accordance with NATO standards and the implementation of the recommendations of the European Penitentiary Rules.

The article states that the problem of handling weapons exists and it must be solved as soon as possible for the reliable protection of personnel and contingents under guard in the penitentiary institutions, which is an urgent necessity in today’s conditions.

That is why there was a real need to develop a new normative-legal Act on the training of penitentiary institutions personnel, which will be intended not only for the skillful and effective use of small arms during the performance of official tasks: “A small arms shooting course for members of the rank and command staff of the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine”, and mastering the skills of shooting with the latest weapons, according to NATO standards.

Key words: physical safety, shooting course, handling of weapons, performance of official tasks.

References

1. United Nations (1955), Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners : an international document, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_212#Text (accessed 08 February 2024)
2. Council of Europe (1987), European Penitentiary (Prison) Rules: an international document, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_032#Text (accessed 08 February 2024).
3. Ukraine (2014), On the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine: Law of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Kyiv, available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2713-15#Text (accessed 09 February 2024)
4. Bodnar, І.V., Vigovskyi, V.L., Denysova, Т.А. and Yesypenko, О.H. (2019), Combat training: training manual, Academy of the State Penitentiary Service, Chernihiv.
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6. Ukraine (2022), Penitentiary reform strategy for the period up to 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Kyiv, available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1153-2022-%D1%80#Text (accessed 09 February 2024).