NCJ Number
184247
Journal
Policing and Society Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: 2000 Pages: 79-90
Date Published
2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The president of a human rights group based in St. Petersburg, Russia, describes Russian attempts at police reform and concludes that these attempts have generally failed.
Abstract
The use of the police in the Chechen war illustrates how the interests of the police and the public remain at odds. Robberies and beatings by the police have taken place; evidence also exists of cooperation between the police and organized crime leaders. The analysis concludes that further police reform is essential. This reform could occur through public education, police training, and the law. The national government’s tradition of controlling every aspect of society makes it suspicious of actions that would loosen its control over the police and other agencies. The Federal parliament is dominated by extremists unwilling to support even modest reforms and will certainly not do what is necessary to transform the police: develop a new system of training, overhaul the laws that guide police behavior, and establish State and social oversight mechanisms. However, the political situation can change. Therefore, drafts of laws and plans for change should be ready for when political leaders more amenable to reform assume control. Meanwhile, it is important to work at the local level to improve the police and change it into an institution worthy of a democracy.