Organisational and legal basis for prioritising the activities of investigative units of the National Police of Ukraine in the context of criminal procedural activities

The study analysed the organisational and legal basis for prioritising the activities of investigative units of the National Police of Ukraine in the context of criminal procedural activities. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the growing burden on investigative units (more than 1.5 million criminal proceedings in 2024 with an average load of 307 proceedings per investigator) and the need for strategic management under martial law. In such circumstances, prioritisation acts not only as a management tool, but also as a factor in ensuring the efficiency, sustainability, and effectiveness of the activities of pre-trial investigation bodies. The purpose of the study was to substantiate and systematise the concept of prioritisation in the functioning of investigative units as a means of improving criminal procedural activities and optimising the use of limited resources. The methodology included: systematic and comparative legal approaches, analysis of statistical and regulatory data, and generalisation of empirical materials of pre-trial investigation practice. The use of these methods helped to identify both theoretical and applied aspects of prioritisation in criminal proceedings. The results of the study showed that determining the priority of criminal proceedings is based on a set of legal, procedural, and social criteria: the severity of the crime, the risk to the life and safety of individuals, the presence of procedural deadlines, public response, and the urgency of investigative (search) actions. The paper offered a detailed five-stage prioritisation algorithm that covers legal qualifications, procedural status, operational and official circumstances, the investigation stage, and the final assessment. The necessity of improving the mechanisms of interdepartmental coordination, optimising the workload, and considering the expectations of civil society was substantiated. The practical significance of the study was to develop a structured approach to managing priorities in the activities of investigative units, which will contribute to improving the effectiveness of pre-trial investigation, ensuring timely procedural response, and building public confidence. The necessity of introducing specialisation, updating the training system, and introducing uniform priority criteria, especially in the investigation of war crimes and crimes against vulnerable categories of persons, was justified