Practical Training Session at the Canine Centre of the Main Department of the National Police in Khmelnytskyi Region

On 9 September 2026, Kateryna VLADOVSKA, Associate Professor of the Department of Constitutional, Administrative and Financial Law, together with second-year students majoring in D8 Law and D4 Public Management and Administration at Leonid Yuzkov Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law, took part in a practical training session held at the Canine Centre of the Main Department of the National Police in Khmelnytskyi Region. The event provided an effective combination of theoretical training and practical familiarisation with the work of police canine units. During the theoretical part, the students learned about the selection and training of service dogs and the specific ways in which they are used by units of the National Police of Ukraine. Particular attention was paid to modern equipment and compliance with safety rules. The Centre actively cooperates with major international organisations; in particular, with the support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (USA), it has received state-of-the-art veterinary diagnostic equipment. During the practical part, the participants observed service dogs searching for explosive devices and narcotic substances and learned about methods of using dogs to detect criminal offences by scent traces. Of particular interest was the canistherapy session conducted by Inna HERASIMOVA, which highlighted the potential of using dogs for psychological support and the rehabilitation of people who have experienced psychological trauma. The “therapists” were the Labradors Lola and John and the German Shepherd Yasia. Lola specialises in detecting narcotic substances, while her partner specialises in weapons and explosives; Yasia works as a canistherapy dog. All of these dogs are very empathetic and friendly towards people, so they gladly take part in such emotional support sessions. We express our sincere gratitude to Lieutenant Colonel of Police Oleksii DIAK, Head of the Canine Centre of the Main Department of the National Police in Khmelnytskyi Region, Captain of Police Inna HERASIMOVA, Senior Inspector-Cynologist, and Senior Lieutenant of Police Anatolii SULIK, Inspector-Cynologist of the Canine Centre, for conducting the practical training session at the Canine Centre of the Main Department of the National Police in Khmelnytskyi Region. We are especially grateful for their time, support and willingness to share their experience. The session made an important contribution to the students’ professional training and helped deepen their practical competencies in the field of canine science. We also thank Liudmyla BERESTOVSKA, Deputy Head of the Department for the Organisation of Activities of Temporary Detention Facilities and Monitoring of Actions with Detainees of the Main Department of the National Police in Khmelnytskyi Region, and Yuliia TSISARUK, Inspector of the same Department, for organising the practical sessions.