June 11, 2021, marks exactly 100 years since the day when training for the police began in Kharkiv. It is known that the beginning of the training of Ukrainian law enforcement officers in our place dates back to November 30, 1917, but the coming to power of the Bolsheviks with the end of the Ukrainian Revolution and the Civil War significantly changed the political situation in the republic. However, the new government also needed law enforcement personnel to protect public order.

For the formation of internal affairs bodies in Ukraine, it was important to train and train future law enforcement officers. The police training system developed spontaneously, as evidenced by reports from local police.

Found historical sources indicate that the idea of building an educational system for police officers in Kharkiv arose in early 1919. Thus, on March 16, 1919, the newspaper Izvestia ACEC, published in Kharkiv, published a report on the establishment of special courses for search agents at the provincial criminal investigation department at the initiative of the head of this department, under the program of private search agencies in America. The purpose of establishing the courses was to prepare an appropriate contingent of criminal investigation officers, who theoretically and practically should be acquainted with the latest scientific methods of search techniques used in European countries according to the systems of Professors Reiss, Bertillon, and others. The courses were taught by specially invited teachers, who were to give lectures on forensic medicine, police, and state law. It was planned to involve professors from Kharkiv University, former prosecutors, and forensic investigators. Practical classes were to be conducted by local experienced search specialists. Among the subjects planned: gymnastics, practical study of ways to combat criminals during arrest or attack, techniques of "jiu-jitsu", field gymnastics, fingerprinting, and anthropometry. However, the vicissitudes of the Civil War and the subsequent rapid occupation of Kharkiv by the Volunteer Army did not allow to fully implement this plan.

But on July 18, 1920, the head of Kharkiv provincial militia in a report to the provincial executive committee made a proposal to create special law courses in Kharkiv for police officers. The idea was soon put into practice.

During this period, the situation with the training of police officers was disappointing. During inspections in February-March 1921, it was found that the vast majority of police officers, even members of the staff, had only a general idea of their duties and did not adhere to official discipline, in particular, some released criminals on bail (and it already testified to the terrible financial situation), who on the same day had already committed new crimes. On April 5, 1921, by a resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, all provincial executive committees undertook to take urgent measures to establish police courses aimed at training senior and junior police officers, senior police officers, and criminal investigation agents.

By the middle of 1921, all the necessary prerequisites for the development of the police education system had been formed. In the previous period, the main requirements for police personnel were legally fixed, the main directions of its activity were determined and the bodies of general (county-city) and specialized (water, railway, industrial) militia and criminal investigation devices were formed. All this, as well as the experience gained in previous years in organizing school and course work, allowed to more clearly define the requirements, forms, and methods of training police personnel.

The organization of systematic education of new staff became of great importance. To this end, on June 11, 1921, the courses of the red militiamen of Kharkiv province, designed for 500 infantry and 100 cavalry militiamen, began their work in Kharkiv. It was on this day that the head of the courses, Ivanov, by order № 1 for the management of the courses of the red militiamen of the Kharkiv provincial militia, announced his entry into the position of the head of the courses.

Vitalii Mykhailovych Komarov (1900-1972), a future police commissioner of the third rank and one of the police officers and later a police school, recalled: “At the end of 1921, our unit was in Kharkiv. At a meeting of commanders, we were told that by government decision we were being transferred to the police. The commander of our regiment, Yefimov, and Commissioner Neumann were instructed to organize training courses for the senior police command staff. Later, many of our commanders commanded platoons and companies on these courses, they taught military affairs to police officers. As a rule, two hours a day were devoted to combat training. Serious attention was paid to shooting, tactics, topography, and military training. In tactical training classes, we worked in the field of action of the department, platoon, and company in all types of combat. We, former commanders of the Red Army, listened to lectures on legal disciplines, got acquainted with the basics of operational work, were interested in the activities of the police. " In 1924, by order of the Chief of Police and Search of the USSR, June 11 was declared a Jubilee Day for the All-Ukrainian School of the Comedy Police and Search with the appropriate celebrations. The same V.M. Komarov wrote: “I remember how we celebrated the first anniversary of our school. Makarenko, the assistant chief of the Main Police Department of the USSR, arrived at the solemn meeting. The head of the school Makarov made a report "Year of the school." After the reports, the "School History Corner" was opened. Then the audience looked at the light newspaper and wall newspaper "Nasha Iskra".

Due to the need to immediately replenish the police staff with at least more or less trained personnel, the first graduation of students of provincial courses took place ahead of schedule, on August 25, 1921. This allowed them to provide their graduates with several counties. Over time, it was planned to cover such course retraining for all police officers.

As of October 1921, four companies of junior police officers had passed the courses, of which 175 students were left in the provincial center to continue their duties, 45 were sent to Chuhuiv, and 25 were in Valky and Zmiiv.

Then the courses were transformed into the All-Ukrainian School of Police, many years later its successor was the Institute, and later Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.

Professor of History Volodymyr HRECHENKO