The paper presents the rationale for solving the problem of teaching the basics of applied swimming cadets of educational institutions of the Ministry of internal Affairs. The need for training these skills of cadets is high. Many students in the educational organizations of the Ministry of internal Affairs do not know how to assist and counteract the criminal in the water environment. Despite this, the future police during execution of official duties, the duty to assist, where appropriate, and within the framework of crime prevention, respectively, to the persecution, to oppose and delay in the aquatic environment of the offender. These circumstances determined the need to develop methods of teaching the basics of applied swimming cadets of educational institutions of the Ministry of internal Affairs. It was supposed to carry out the analysis of level of readiness of cadets in questions of knowledge of bases of applied swimming. To develop a program of training students in the basics of applied swimming and test its effectiveness. In the course of the study, pedagogical, practical, mathematical and statistical methods were used. In the course of the study it was found that the proposed program of practical training and methodology for teaching the basics of applied swimming is effective. This is indicated by the experimental data obtained as a result of testing of cadets. This fact allows us to recommend an experimental technique for use in the educational process of students.