"A child may be open like a book, but there are always hidden pages." A police officer from Rechitsa on working with children 

The daily workday of Diana Grinyuk, HEAD of the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate of the Rechitsa District Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate, is always busy and varied. She visits families raising children, meets with teenagers and their parents, organizes meaningful leisure activities for children, and much more. On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate (JAI), which is celebrated today, June 19, the police lieutenant colonel spoke with a BELTA correspondent about the important principles and rules of working with children and how to understand them.
About her career path: 

Diana Grinyuk has dedicated almost 20 years to serving in the police. "November 3 will be exactly 20 years. And I've been with the Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate all these years," she explains on her way to the work and recreation camp currently operating at Rechitsa Secondary School No. 2. During breaks between work hours and leisure time, the children from Yunost gather for a dialogue with law enforcement officers about crime prevention, safe behavior on public transport, and around bodies of water. 

The eighth- and ninth-graders eagerly share their early career achievements and plans, such as participating in a cyber tournament.
"To be honest, I've been involved with children my whole life in one way or another. I have a teaching background. I first studied at the Loyev Pedagogical College, then at the F. Skorina Gomel State University. I graduated with honors from both institutions. I entered graduate school. However, ultimately, I didn't pursue a career in science," explains the DIRECTOR.

Alongside her studies, she also worked with children constantly—at camps, in student groups, and during internships. "I've always been interested in this; I was good at building trusting relationships with the guys. And when the time came to choose a job, I decided to go to the Juvenile Affairs Department. I felt strong and knew I had the necessary skills. Plus, I was inspired by the example of my sister, who was already serving in law enforcement at the time," explains the head of the Juvenile Affairs Department. 
"There was always help and support."

"From the very first days, I was assisted in everything by a very close-knit team, first headed by Valentin Mikhailovich Fesenko, then by Alexander Nikolaevich Melnikov. They greatly influenced my professional development. And there was always help and support," says Diana Grinyuk, grateful. 

The head adds: at every stage of her life, her main support has been and remains her family – her parents , who always supported her in everything, her sisters, and then her husband, who was understanding of the specifics of his wife's work. "And at some moments, for our daughter, he was, as they say, two in one," she says warmly. 

"You can't get used to this, no matter how many years you work."

The police officer admits that, both in her first days on the job and to this day, she's deeply affected by the difficult fates of children. "These are situations where young children grow up in families where parents abuse ALCOHOL and neglect them. When you encounter crimes against sexual integrity, realizing that a child has been sexually abused by family members or people close to the family, it's always difficult! You never get used to this, no matter how many years you've worked. It's always heartbreaking to see parents who have poured their heart and soul into raising a child, only for them, as a teenager, to fall under the influence of the company and go down the wrong path. It's a terrible tragedy when children die," Diana Grinyuk shares.
"At the same time, when years later you meet your former protégés, those who were once hooligans but are now good workers, caring fathers, and husbands, you're happy for them that everything worked out for them, that we were able to steer them in the right, productive, positive direction. It's a source of pride. And in moments like these, of course, you feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense of having truly helped," she adds. 

"Making Childhood and Adolescence Safe and Carefree."

Today, the Rechitsa District Department of Internal Affairs' Juvenile Affairs Inspectorate is conducting individual preventative work with 107 teenagers. "Whether that's a lot or a little is difficult to say. After all, these aren't just numbers; these are the fates of specific children. In total, just over 19,000 minors live in our district. And our goal is to make their childhood and adolescence safe and carefree, and to prevent them from making mistakes," the chief emphasizes. 
According to the police lieutenant colonel, the busiest time for juvenile affairs officers is school holidays. "Just like in agriculture, summer is a hot time in the fields, and so it is for us. After all, this is a time when children aren't busy with schoolwork, often being left to their own devices for most of their time. Therefore, the inspection is being put on a special regime. We are also monitoring public recreation areas, bodies of water, discos, and abandoned buildings. Our main goal now is to organize minors and engage them in useful forms of employment. We are working with prevention agencies such as the education, sports, and tourism departments, the BRSM Youth Union, and others," notes Diana Grinyuk.

For example, in the summer, children are invited to tourist gatherings and sports tournaments. "On June 20, a large-scale eSports tournament, 'Time of Winners,' will be held in Gomel, where young people will demonstrate their skills in the eSports discipline Dota 2. A team from our district is also preparing," the head of the inspection explains.

Teenagers also learn many useful and interesting things during various excursions. "We place special emphasis on patriotic education, instilling in them a strong patriotic consciousness, a sense of loyalty to the Motherland, and a readiness to serve and defend the Fatherland. And military-patriotic clubs play a significant role in this," the director believes. She firmly believes it's important to engage and motivate every child so that they don't even entertain the thought of doing something bad.

"You see, we consider every crime committed by a teenager, especially during summer vacation, an emergency. It's a failure of all preventative measures. It means they weren't watching, weren't running, weren't anticipating," notes the experienced police officer. 

"If you lose contact, there will be no results."

Over the years of her work, she formulated the main principle of working with children and teenagers as follows: "The most important thing is to listen to and understand the child and their problem. Then it will be easier to reach them. Yes, working with teenagers is not easy. It's not for nothing that this age is called difficult. Some children are more open. But even this doesn't mean you can read them like an open book. There are always secret, hidden pages. And the inspector must conduct significant analytical work. Learn about the child's family, friendships, and observe the child's behavior." 

"You need to win the child over. Show that you want to help them. And under no circumstances should you allow the child to doubt even a little that they can trust you. If you lose contact, there will be no results," Diana Grinyuk says of another important principle.

"The Juvenile Affairs Department employs the elite of the police."

"An inspector is a law enforcement officer, a mentor, and a keen psychologist. And there can't be any random people here. Absolutely not! I've always believed that the juvenile affairs department should, and does, employ the elite of the police. Highly professional officers, trained, competent, with a wealth of knowledge, disciplined, and psychologically and pedagogically prepared to work with children. And not just with children, but with adults as well. After all, there's a category of parents who can sometimes be more challenging than with children," the police officer points out. 

Diana Grinyuk has observed that teenagers have changed over the 20 years she's served in the department. "Today they're more relaxed and openly express their opinions. While 14-year-olds were still children 20 years ago, today they're already more mature. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is debatable. Yes, they're more independent in some ways, but often their confidence and self-assurance become a kind of barrier in a situation where they need to explain, clarify, or convince something," the interviewee says. 

Loneliness among family

How can we reach the neighborhood's young residents? A seasoned law enforcement officer has a clear answer: each case requires an individual approach. "One person will be swayed by a simple conversation. Another will benefit from a school-based prevention program. For some, a single hearing by the juvenile affairs commission is enough, while others require constant, special, and heightened attention," she explains. 

A lack of parental attention is often the root cause of children's troubles. "Parents don't talk to their children these days, and that's the problem. If you've noticed, a mother with a small child is on her phone, and the child is on a gadget. It's rare to find the tradition of family dinners, where they sit around the table together and discuss their day, how things are going at school, and with friends. The child loses the habit of sharing things at home. Mom and Dad don't listen to them. They feel lonely among their family. And they look for someone who will listen to them—on the internet, where a criminal can hide behind a cute avatar, on the street, and in not-always-good company," the law enforcement officer worries about minors. 

"The kids we work with know that the juvenile affairs inspectorate will always listen to them and understand them. For example, just in January of this year, our Alexander Eduardovich Chernoshey resigned. He knew how to find common ground with every teenager. In a fatherly, wise way," the director cites as an example. 
Traditions of Brotherhood

She adds: overall, throughout her service, the team was staffed by true professionals. "Many people worked with me for 20, 17, 15 years. But being a professional isn't enough. Human qualities are important. We always had a special atmosphere of support, mutual assistance, and mutual assistance within our team. And even now, I can call those who have retired or transferred, and they will always pick up the phone and give valuable advice. This is the brotherhood of the inspection. And we will certainly pass on these traditions of brotherhood and unity to the young people who are joining today," Diana Grinyuk assures

BELTA.
Photos courtesy of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Department of Internal Affairs.