News

A round table on the topic: “Law enforcement bodies and civil society: ways and methods of efficient cooperation” has been held in Saint-Petersburg on the initiative of the Russia’s Investigative Committee and the Ombudsman. The event was attended by the Ombudsman in Saint-Petersburg, Aide to Ombudsman under the President of the Russian Federation, senior officials of law enforcement bodies in the region, representatives of non-governmental and human rights organizations (human rights council of Saint-Petersburg, public supervision commission in Saint-Petersburg, non-governmental charity organization Saint-Petersburg Center of Red Cross International Cooperation, human rights organization Saint-Petersburg Solders’ Mothers, human rights organization Civil Control and others).

The meeting was opened by Media Relations Directorate Mr. Vladimir Markin, who noted in his report, that the main aim of the cooperation between law enforcement and civil society institutions was consolidation of trust. “It is the trust that determines efficiency of law enforcement and the Russia’s Investigative Committee does everything possible to make this trust stronger”, - Mr. markin stressed.

The report mentioned a number of initiatives of the Russia’s Investigative Committee aimed at solving the tasks of efficient cooperation between law enforcement and civil society.

Necessity was noted in system work to ensure law and order and prevent local crimes, in comprehensive regulatory, organizational and resource provision. At legislative level for active involvement of citizens in ensuring law and order it was offered to set up measures of state control and supervision over activity of public units of law enforcement, including to prevent activity of criminal structures disguising themselves as such units; legal and social guarantees to the citizens participating in law enforcement activity; powers of members of public units. The report also noted reasonability of separation and regulation, taking into consideration contemporary reality, of activity by main groups of public unions and citizens engaged in law enforcement.

The issues was proposed to discuss on introducing administrative liability for insubordination to lawful order (demand) by a member of a public union engaged in law enforcement activity, out –of-staff employee of a law enforcement body, by making corresponding additions to article 19.3 of the RF Code of Administrative Offences and criminal liability for encroachment on lives of such people, threat or violence connected with their activity protecting public order.

Work with citizens’ appeals was noted as one of the most important areas in activity of the Russia’s Investigative Committee. “Feedback with people is a key element of realization of people’s constitutional rights”, - said Vladimir Markin. “For this each subject of the Russian Federation has a public reception office of the Chairman of the Russia’s Investigative Committee, where each citizen can file an appeal. We also have help lines and Internet-reception of the Investigative Committee”.

Great attention at the round table was paid to protection of rights and lawful interests of children. Mr. Markin stressed that National Strategy of Activity in the Children’s Interests approved by the Presidential Decree on 1 June 2012, contains many proposals made by the Investigative Committee, including setting up non-commercial partnership Russian National Monitoring Center for Helping Missing and Injured Children.

The Monitoring Center is necessary to unite the efforts of the state and civil society in searching for missing children, prevention and suppression of violent and sexual crimes, including those committed using information technologies.

At Public Chamber hearings on the topic: Protection and help for children – victims of crimes, which took place on 25 October 2012, a prototype of such center was introduced. It was created based on special project for protecting children against kidnappings and illegal exploitation – “Ne dopusti” (Not allow).

The question of establishing such centers for coordination of volunteer’s activity in subjects of the Russian Federation as the best form of cooperation between investigating bodies of the Investigative Committee and public and voluntary organizations in protecting people against kidnappings and illegal exploitation was proposed to be discussed.

In addition, in connection with entering into force on 1 September 2012 of the Federal Law “On protection of children against information damaging their health and development”, the parties discussed introduction of criminal liability for illegal distribution of information encouraging children to commit actions threatening their lives or health, including harm to their health or suicide, if it has through negligence entailed commission by a child the above mentioned actions.

“We need efficient assistance of NGOs and human rights organizations in this matter to reveal such information, which has negative effect in child’s mental state and for swift suppression of its distribution”, - Mr. Markin underscored.

Analysis carried out by the Investigative Committee shows that so far there has not been efficient cooperation with NGOs to reveal violence against minors or neglected forms of different illnesses in children.

In practice it leads to the situation when not all authorized bodies are involved in working on a problem family, not all state potential is applied to protect the child’s rights.

In addition, unlike foreign states, concealment or non-disclosure to law enforcement of information on facts of violence against children in the Russian Federation does not always entail any penalty. Accordingly, the Investigative Committee offers to add to article 316 of the RF Criminal Code (concealment of crime) norms, providing for criminal penalty for concealing serious crimes and crimes of medium gravity against children and making penalties for concealing especially serious crimes against minors tougher.

The matter of introducing criminal penalty for non-giving or not full giving or misrepresentation by an official of a body and institution of minors’ crimes and neglect prevention system to an authorized state body (official) of information on facts of physical or mental violence, sexual and other exploitation of a minor and on minors in socially dangerous state, giving of which is provided by the law and necessary for the body (official) to discharge their official duties, is also needed to be elaborated.

The round table also discussed the problem of taking children out of the families. Mr. Markin pointed out that it often happened that children were taken away from families without sufficient reasons to do that, for fear of risk, or on the contrary children were left in families at high risk of harm, without proper protection.

In such a situation it is only natural to address the institution of social and psychological support to families and mechanisms of supporting families with children. Accordingly, there was presented an initiative to set up a “family service”, which would constantly monitor problem families and prevent and not state the facts of doing harm to a child.

Talking about ways to solve this difficult issue, Mr. Markin also noted that the Investigative Committee didn’t stand aside from educating the younger generation. More than 500 orphans, children from single-parent and poor families, children of law enforcement officers, who died on duty will be studying u=in Alexander Nevsky Cadet College of the Russia’s Investigative Committee established in July 2012. “Care and respect for people, honesty and integrity, zeal and persistence are qualities we give our cadets”, - Mr. Markin added.

Protection of children against criminal encroachments was one of the most discussed matters at the meeting. Saint-Petersburg Children Ombudsman thanked the Chairman of the Russia’s Investigative Committee for active position in protecting children rights, including orphans and children left without parental care.

The meeting also touched upon problems of violating rights of persons subject to military subscription, Problem of trust between law enforcement and civil society institutions, involvement of citizens in fighting crimes, committed by migrants, public control over keeping people in jails and many others.

Following the results of the round table all initiatives and proposals will be summarized and areas of further activity will be determined.