SUMMARY
The article deals with the psychological peculiarities of professional activity of employees of criminal police units of Ukraine, the basic requirements of the profession for psychological characteristics, knowledge and skills of criminal police officers, motives for professional choice, psychological indications and contraindications to professional activity in position. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the criminal police officers perform their duties in difficult and sometimes in special and extreme conditions, therefore, for the effective selection and training of personnel, it is necessary to know the professionally important qualities (PIQ) of criminal police officers. Participants. In order to study the professionally important qualities of police officers a research was conducted during 2018. 350 criminal police officers (298 male policemen, 52 female policemen) from 20 regions of Ukraine took part in it (aged 25 to 42); the special ranks of the respondents are from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel of the police; all police officers were characterized by experts as "successful". Research methods: observations, surveys, interviews with experts, psychological testing, methods of mathematical statistics. Results. The analysis of the average psychological profile of the "successful" criminal police officers’ personality allows characterizing the employees as persons with asthenic type of response, high activity and high level of aspiration, striking emotional reactions, which, at the same time, are sufficiently controlled. Specialists have strength and lability nervous system, a leading style of behavior, the ability to take risks with strong stress resistance. Regarding the motivational sphere, the first place in importance belongs to the motives and values related to the personal self-realization. Conclusions. The criminal police officers’ professional activities are characterized by complexity and emotional tension, occurring in difficult conditions; in order to be successful in performing his/her duties, the police officer must be psychologically prepared for the activity, possess a range of professionally important qualities, knowledge and skills.