Given the limited capacity of the law enforcement system, it is impossible to effectively investigate all crimes simultaneously. Prioritisation is a tool that helps focus resources on cases with the greatest impact on society.
During the JustTalk discussion supported by the EUACI, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), National Police of Ukraine (NPU), and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) shared how they approach case prioritisation in practice:
- NABU uses a five-level prioritisation system agreed with the SAPO. The first level – the highest – covers ongoing serious and particularly serious crimes committed by high-ranking officials or criminal organisations, or those causing damages in the hundreds of millions of hryvnias. The second and subsequent levels include cases of lesser public threat or those committed in the past.
Report on the NABU independent audit also emphasized that the Bureau needs a comprehensive strategic approach to prioritizing cases with measurable goals and objectives. - NPU focuses on criteria that matter most to citizens: public outcry, cruelty or cynicism of the crime, inequality before the law, threats to large groups of people, and impunity of perpetrators.
- SBU emphasises that limited resources make it unrealistic to investigate every registered case. Prioritisation is therefore essential, but society must also be ready to accept this, as behind every case there is a victim. So, in addition to legal grounds, there must be public understanding of this approach.
“Often in conversations with civil servants, we hear: ‘If something is not explicitly stated in the law, it cannot be done.’ At the EUACI, we support thinking outside the box when it is necessary to promote justice, development, and public well-being. But we also value honest and constructive discussion about existing challenges,”
Iryna Shyba, Deputy Head of the EUACI.
🎧 Listen to the discussion in the JustTalk podcast:
🔸Apple Podcasts: https://cutt.ly/Srz3PHDH
🔸YouTube: https://cutt.ly/Rrz3RSSA
🔸Spotify: https://cutt.ly/vrz3fxTS
🔗 Discussion paper: https://cutt.ly/brkJTGVI
