Kyiv eateries offer new cops freebies, but some don’t approve (VIDEO)

More than 20 cafes are offering free drinks and food to officers of Kyiv’s new police patrol force. The sweeping trend is part of the wave of enthusiasm for the rebranded service that earned their badges on July 4 during a ceremony presided over President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv.

Korupciya.world reporting by Kyiv Post

But the idea of providing freebies to the new-style cops – seen by many in Ukraine as being in the vanguard of the country’s battle against corruption – hasn’t been met with universal approval.

The idea was born in a patisserie called L’Eclair Little Artwork, which on July 7 announced in a post on Facebook that it was offering free coffee and tea to police patrol officers.

The post quickly went viral, racking up over 8,000 likes and nearly 7,000 shares – even from Ukrainian lawmakers like Mustafa Nayem. Soon other food establishments were jumping on the free-food-and-drink-for-the-police bandwagon.

Public relations agency Frontmen voluntarily created a logo and placed them on stickers for venues that offer freebies to the police. They have already sent stickers to six Kyiv cafés.

“Caring for those who help, serve and defend us is the most important factor in building a proper relationship between our government and citizens,” the Frontmen agency said in a Facebook response to a Kyiv Post inquiry. The agency said the officers of the new police force should be aware they have the support of the public.

“Perhaps they will never go bad if we (support them),” the agency said.

L’Eclair said in its post that it wanted to personally contribute to the credibility of the new police force, but some think that providing officers with free coffee achieves precisely the opposite effect.

“Although this is a display of love, all things have a value – I would probably call it disguised corruption or a hidden bribe,” vice-president of the Union of Advocacy of Ukraine Petro Boyko told the Kyiv Post. “It’s clear that if a police officer faces a controversial situation, where the position is 50/50, he will stand by those who give him coffee. This should not be approved by the police’s governing body.”

The owners of L’Eclair still see nothing wrong with their initiative, however.

“We are really proud of our (police officers), who have fundamentally changed their lives,” the restaurant administration said in a press statement. “(The new police) have started changing the country not only in words, but with real deeds.”

The leadership of the police patrol force is lukewarm to the initiative. Commander of the first police patrol’s battalion, Badry Gogokhiya, said it would not be good for officers to be seen фы taking advantage of their position.

“There’s a recommendation to officers to refuse free food. And we’re not poor,” Gogokhiya said.

Police officers stand in front of Druzi Cafe whose management was among the first eateriries to offer freebies to the men in blue.

There was a mixed reaction from the public as well to L’Eclair’s initiative. Facebook user Olga Levchenko, commenting on L’Eclair’s initial post, said it was a shame that the public was focused on things like giving free coffee to the police when people were fighting and dying on the front line.

“I’m not surprised anymore that there’s bedlam in the country. We have what we deserve,” Levchenko wrote.

But user Oleg Grytsenko supported the idea. He said it was sad that Ukrainians tended to look at new initiatives from a negative angle.

“I hope that Ukrainians with time will learn to think positively. I fully agree with this idea! Well done!” he wrote.

https://youtu.be/l4p_S6vPebs