Police Officers Meet with Priests Before Christmas

It is expected that about 7 million people will attend Christmas services on January 6-8.

Public order will be kept by more than 25 thousand police officers, said Deputy Head of the Department of Public Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Volodymyr Salymskyi at a briefing in Kyiv on December 23 December, reports UNIAN, 

According to Salymskyi, the main task of the police during the Christmas holidays is to prevent any violations including ones related to religion.

Salymskyi reported that Christmas services are planned to be celebrated in more than 14 thousand religious buildings and it is expected that about 7 million people will attend them. The largest numbers of attendance are expected in Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyj oblasts.

According to Salymskyi, the police interview priests to prevent violations and interdenominational conflicts.

 "We instructed district police officers to talk to priests to prevent conflicts. Our officers will visit all churches," he said.  

Salymskyi also reported that police officers plan to meet with the heads of the religious communities, where heads will be warned about the responsibility of adhering to the law. In addition, the police jointly with workers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations plan to inspect the fire safety in the religious buildings.

Salymskyi assured that the police will do everything that is necessary to ensure appropriate celebration of the holidays.