The aim of the research was to reveal the peculiarities of preventive activities carried out by law enforcement agencies in the countries of the European Union. Attention is paid to the known methods of preventive work carried out by the police of different countries, which make it possible to prevent crimes and arrest criminals when they are still preparing to commit a crime. In this regard, models of preventive activities used in continental European countries are described. The methodological basis of the research is presented in comparative-legal and systematic analysis, formal-legal method, method of interpretation, hermeneutic method, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis. In the conclusions attention is paid to the peculiarities of prevention applied by individual members of the European Union, in particular, the policy of prevention by the Polish police, in terms of recidivism of persons who have already committed crimes. This policy is developed by borrowing from the European experience, because in some countries the emphasis is on extending the powers of police officers, in others - on maximum interaction with the society involved to help implement some police functions.