As part of a partnership initiative between CENSS, the editorial office of the newspaper Cherkasky Krai, and the Cherkasy Regional Organization of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), a seminar was held on April 4th in Cherkasy for regional media representatives on the topic “Countering the Risks of Illegal Weapons Distribution.”
Serhiy Zlakoman, a member of the CENSS Board and head of the CENSS Academy NGO, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.
The relevance of the topic for media professionals and the challenges related to the war were highlighted by Tetyana Kalynovska, the head of the Cherkasy Regional Organization of the Journalists’ Union.
During the seminar, participants received information on how illegal weapons are smuggled into Cherkasy region, the safety measures implemented during martial law, the types of weapons and explosives detected and neutralized in the region, as well as psychological support provided to law enforcement officers.
The operational officer of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Cherkasy region, Police Major Ihor Nesterenko, noted that illegal weapons, including firearms and grenades, are being increasingly seized from criminals.
The seminar participants also received recommendations on how to work at the scene of an incident. They were informed about restrictions related to providing information when covering such topics. The head of the communications department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Cherkasy region, Zoya Vovk, emphasized the importance of avoiding errors in journalistic investigations that may affect the objectivity of the materials.
We thank the organizers and participants of the seminar: Cherkaskyi Krai, the Cherkasy Regional Organization of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NSJU), the Cherkasy Scientific-Research Expert-Criminalistics Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and the Police of Cherkasy region.
