Russian Police Reform: Centralisation, Paramilitarisation and Modernisation

• NCJ Number: 199421
• Journal: Crime & Justice International Volume: 19 Issue: 70 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 17-19
• Author(s): Mark Galeotti
• Date Published: February 2003
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article summarizes the provisions of a new Law on the Police in Russia, which is being drafted to reshape the structure of Russian law enforcement.

Abstract

The proposed new law would create three new Federal agencies while making much clearer demarcations between central and local law enforcement. Two of the new agencies would be law enforcement arms. The first would be a national police force, the Federal Police, which would be responsible for serious crime and a range of special and public order duties. The Federal Police would be substantially paramilitary. Overall, the Federal Police will become a powerful force, centrally commanded and funded, with paramilitary units in every city across Russia. The second new agency would be the Federal Investigations Service (FSR). The FSR is already being represented inaccurately as a "Russian FBI." Although there are similarities, the FSR would essentially be a police agency formed out of existing special and investigations forces. The third element of proposed Federal law enforcement would be a National Guard, formed on the basis of the existing Interior Troops. The National Guard would consist of militarized, mechanized security forces and local security and public order forces, who would be used for ceremonial duties in addition to public order. Although the proposed reform promises a much-needed reorganization of the Russian law enforcement system, there are some concerns. President Putin's preference for centralization, coupled with the trend toward the paramilitarization of the police and their use in essentially military and even extralegal operations in Chechnya and elsewhere, are at odds with official rhetoric on the need to democratize the police and close the gap between the law enforcers and the citizenry. Also, in addition to the reorganization of the police, there is a need to change the culture of the police, eliminate corruption, and end the use of the police as political agents.