Kemerovo, and with it the whole country, will not soon forget the case of Vera Pekhteleva. The murder of this beautiful girl has become a symbol of the inaction of the Russian police.
The neighbors tried to call the law enforcement officers for an hour and a half in a row, but they did not wait for them, and the fanatic all this time tortured and killed the unfortunate student.
However, as it turns out, such a story could have happened in every city in the country.
There will be more guilty persons in Kemerovo
Now the Investigative Committee of Kuzbass has opened another criminal case against the police. According to a source NGS42.RU, police officers who took calls and reported that there were no orders in the city became the new defendants in the criminal case. A criminal case against them was initiated under Part 2 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (negligence, resulting in the death of a person by negligence) at the end of February 2021. However, the press service of the Investigative Committee of Kuzbass reported this only in mid-March. We gave a detailed report on calls to the police, from which it is clear how, for long hours, the guards, instead of going to save the girl, football the callers.
Prior to that, the criminal case against two more police officers, Mikhail Balashov and Dmitry Taritsyn, was sent for retraining to a more serious article. The defense side did not agree with this decision. Now the trial of the policemen may drag on for several months.
Meanwhile, a new reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be adopted in 2021. It is planned to again reduce the number of police officers, which, obviously, are already in short supply.
In early March, at a collegium of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Putin spoke about the shortcomings in the work of the police. The head of state said that the crime rate has been rapidly increasing in several large cities of Russia. He did not name the city, however, based on the report of the Prosecutor General’s Office on the state of crime in the country for a certain period of 2020, we are talking about the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Novgorod and Smolensk regions, Sevastopol and the Chuvash Republic. In absolute terms, the increase is 279.4 thousand crimes in January — June 2020. We decided to find out how people are protected in the regions where the City Portal Network is represented. And it turned out that the situation throughout the country is not much different from Kemerovo.
Krasnoyarsk Territory: 800 police officers are missing
The police in the Krasnoyarsk Territory lacks 6% of employees. NGS24.RU was informed about this by a representative of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Krasnoyarsk Territory. 6% is 800 vacant positions. There are vacancies in almost all territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the region, but there is a particularly large shortage in the northern territories: Norilsk, Dudinka, Boguchany, Turukhansk, Tura. At the same time, salaries are not the smallest in the region — from 40 thousand with an average for the region of about 50 thousand rubles.
Here is what a former policeman who worked in the Kirovsky district of Krasnoyarsk from 2014 to 2019 tells.
— The volume of paperwork and the number of visits do not correspond at all to the number of people in the service. Sometimes there is physically no one to go to the challenge, but for someone it is a matter of life and death. It’s all about the number of calls during the daily watch. For example, on New Year’s holidays, it is in our police department that the number of calls to the police is about 150 for the entire district, crews leaving for calls — 3-4, the average number of calls per day per crew — 37. You understand that to arrive at 37 calls per day, to understand the situation, take an explanation from each, a statement, calm down the brawlers or take at least to the district department those who do not calm down (I’m not talking about sending them for a day, because this is a more complicated procedure), it is simply impossible physically.
Tyumen region: those who will soon retire hold on to work
In the Tyumen region, the shortage of personnel at the end of 2020 amounted to 6.3%. For Tobolsk — up to 15%. This was stated by the head of the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Leonid Kolomiets. Journalists 72.RU found out the working conditions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs employees, what are the problems. Here are some honest anonymous stories.
— There are not enough employees in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is the main problem. What is the situation and why is this happening? People get settled, do a little work, and then leave. As a result — a terrible turnover. The workload in law enforcement agencies is very high, and the salary has not increased for several years. We, as then, raised her when going to the police, and that’s all. And prices are rising, everything is getting more expensive, people do not have enough to support their families. To be honest, those who do not have much left to retire are holding on to work with all their might. And when they go on a well-deserved rest, people simply run away from the police, because the work is not easy and sometimes thankless. Since there are not enough people, then problems arise in working directly with the population.
— People complain, for example, that they cannot wait for the police to call. In fact, there is no one to go to them, there are few carriages, if someone is busy, then people wait for hours when they are free and only go to them. Rosgvardia does not work with us, does not go to calls, as it was before with the non-departmental security — then they helped us well. At work, all these nuances affect: some, newcomers who did not have time to really grasp the work, because the initial training should be taken for 4-6 months, turn around and leave. Because not everyone can handle it. The latter work out of their last strength until retirement and leave. Because of this, it turns out that people who remain in the minority are working.
Yekaterinburg: one car per district
Here is what current or former police officers tell E1.RU. Victor (name has been changed. — Ed.), Teaching staff:
— When salaries were raised in 2012, people still went to the police, because then salaries here were above average. But now they pay more in other areas, but in the police everything remains the same. Only the load has grown and the requirements. In addition, there is a policy of “many of you behind the fence”. There are more reasons for dismissals and punishments, and the prestige of the service is lower. But the main reason is low salaries and lack of career prospects. Once they were given the title for seniority, now the ceiling of the rank of an inspector is a lieutenant, says Victor.
According to him, the salary of the newly arrived inspector of the teaching staff is 23-24 thousand rubles. He will receive 30 thousand only after five years of service. This does not include rank and difficulty allowances. Moreover, most of those who come are residents of the region who came to Yekaterinburg in search of work. But they have a different problem — with housing, in contrast to the same army and the National Guard, where there are service housing and subsidies for the purchase of their own.
“Young people who come to us want everything at once, they don’t give a damn about early retirement and other benefits, when they see the conditions and requirements, they say:“ Yes, I’ll earn more by courier ”and leave. Therefore, our situation now is no better than in Kemerovo, where they could not find a car to call. And then it will be even worse, — our interlocutor is sure.
According to veterans and former employees, 4 patrol vehicles and one immediate response group plus 4 foot posts used to be on duty in the area. Now — after all the reforms, reductions and optimizations — the district is closed by only one car and one foot post. If several calls happen at the same time, they go first to the highest priority one. Moreover, the Yekaterinburg police have cars — there are no people.
The situation with middle managers is not the best either. The principle of punishing a leader for the actions of his subordinates only led to the fact that the commanders understood that little depends on the quality of their real work; only loyalty to the higher management becomes more important.
Roman (name has been changed. — Ed.), Detective of the Criminal Investigation Department:
— Today the police have a catastrophic shortage of employees. This situation did not develop suddenly, the staff shortage began to intensify after the Ural Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Nizhny Tagil Secondary Special School of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia stopped working, the people began to leave (now the Yekaterinburg Institute and the Professional Training Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are working. — Ed.). Nowadays, most of the graduates do not go to the police.
Previously, pepeesniki drove five of them, traffic cops at least three, usually four. Then an order came from Moscow on layoffs, but those who worked “on the ground” were laid off, and not the administrative resource. The cut went wrong. I know so many guys who worked «on the ground» and just flew out!
Go to the sites for personnel search, you will see how many vacancies there are in the authorities. Nobody goes to the police, because you need to know a lot: the statutes, the Criminal and Administrative Codes, follow the decisions of the plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. A lot of information is needed, but it is not. There are no specialized institutes, nor the teaching staff. The vacuum was formed in a couple of years — that’s all.
Four years later, when the “old people” leave, there will be just an unprepared group of people in the city who wears a uniform, but has no idea what they should do.
Yaroslavl: there seems to be no stick system, but you can’t talk about it
“The whole problem with this story is the lack of people. Here, after all, how: until your call will come … — a police officer in the Yaroslavl region shared his thoughts with the 76.RU portal. — This does not mean that we do not care, we just have to choose. On the day — one district police officer, the second in the wings and two operas. If something is urgent, we will come quickly. And if theft, for example, — well, she will wait, if there is a more serious crime. On average, there are 30-40 messages and applications per day. More in summer. Now the lack of personnel in the police is almost the norm. We have the same story: there is one PPS detachment for the entire district. One employee has a load for three. In order to solve this problem, you need to motivate people to come to work in the organs and increase the number of outdoor outfits.
The salary for such work should be about one hundred thousand. Maybe, then people will stop leaving and new ones will start coming. With our schedule, work with documents and the total workload, there is simply no way less. The stick system does not seem to exist, but at the same time it exists, but it is impossible to talk about it. There is neither the strength nor the desire to work under such conditions. Of course, people will leave, and those who remain will take the rap for everyone. Because of this, such cases as in Kemerovo will occur. And we will continue to repair service cars at our own expense, as we do now. Because of this, such cases as in Kemerovo will occur. And we will continue to repair service cars at our own expense, as we do now. Because of this, such cases as in Kemerovo will occur. And we will continue to repair service cars at our own expense, as we do now.
Rostov: it’s easier to take short-range calls than driving through traffic jams
— In short — we have no shortage of personnel, — said an insider 161.RU in the GUMVD in the Rostov region. — It is in Rostov: if they don’t come, then the call is far away and they don’t want to drive through traffic jams for two hours. It’s easier to take near calls to work and calmly go home. I will not say that there are not enough people. Each department has a complete set. Another thing is that someone is on training, someone is on sick leave, then they have overlays. Usually they don’t want to, I say the same, if there is traffic jams in the distant area. I know about this girl. Everyone is to blame. Rather, the human factor worked, that it was some kind of nonsense, so we didn’t go. They have 10-50 such calls a day. Especially on holidays. And if, for example, the area is still unfavorable, then usually the cut-off is underway. They think this way: «They are all killed and raped there twice a day.» It’s a pity, of course, the girl, but everyone will sit down …
Novosibirsk: because of reductions «on the ground» all suffer
Olga, a former district police officer, says:
— I retired in August 2018. Of the 20 years of service, 11 — as a district police officer. Nobody deliberately ignored the calls. Another thing is due to the lack of personnel in the evening and at night. 1-2 crews of the PPS in the area physically cannot be in time for all applications, therefore, violations of the peace and quiet of citizens may be considered in the last turn.
For all fights, the crew leaves at once according to the message of the duty officer, just, I repeat, if there are several of them, then in order of priority. It is very difficult to attract additional forces when they are not available. The duty officer himself does not have the right to leave the duty unit, therefore, he works with the number of personnel who went on his shift.
A repetition of such a situation is possible anywhere, not only in Novosibirsk.
Anna (name has been changed. — Ed.), A police officer on maternity leave, believes that such a situation could have happened in any department, and the Novosibirsk region is no exception — due to staff reductions.
— If the group left for departure to one settlement of the district and something happens in another, then, unfortunately, the group does not arrive at the time prescribed by law, but in order, since there are not enough employees and cars.
And one more thing: you yourself understand, when they say a brawl in an area where you cannot take help, it is at least dangerous to send one employee, we have a different time now. Unfortunately, police officers do not have the same authority that they enjoyed 8 years ago. Therefore, there is an individual approach to each application.
Oksana (name has been changed. — Ed.), Acting policeman:
— All calls must be processed in turn. But all this can be delayed, since there are very few cars, especially at night. I am very offended that because of the redundancies «on the ground», it is precisely those employees on whose shoulders the maintenance of order rests who suffer. There are few of them, and they are people, ”the employee told NGS.RU journalist.
Volgograd: they screamed at the people with a request to go to the police
The policemen say, in principle, the same thing about their work in Volgograd. Andrey (name has been changed. — Ed. Note), operational officer of the head office:
— There was always a shortage in the police. It got to the point that they threw a cry to the people with a request to bring at least someone. In my unit, the main selection criteria are: military service, at least some higher education. Although I myself have brought potential candidates several times, for some reason they did not suit the personnel department. Either an interview with a polygraph will not work, then there are some other reasons. As for the equipment, in this regard, it would be a sin to complain due to the specifics of the unit, — quotes the words of the operative V1.RU.
Sergey (name has been changed — Ed.), Traffic police officer:
— Volgograd was lucky. He was «covered» by the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Therefore, the equipment of the police officers (all) is very decent. What the guys work with on the road is a repaired, attorney, with all the documents. But there are fewer and fewer guys. An elementary example. Take the same ZAFAP. There are now 30 people working there. For these 30 people, there are 2.5 million regulations that need to be processed. However, do not forget about other responsibilities. When I worked there, I tried to optimize everything I could. But you are not optimizing the Code of Administrative Offenses. If you are supposed to summon a person with a summons, wait and then do everything else, then you can’t get away from this.
The biggest problem is that people are not held or motivated. No way.
As for the salaries, when the police were renamed the police, our salaries were raised very well. So good that I didn’t have time to spend it. I could afford to hire people to do repairs at home, for example. Now the salary has remained the same, but life has become much more expensive. Therefore, people come to the police, even after «surveillance», look at the whole mess that is going on, and leave. They are replaced by new ones, and the cycle repeats. As for Kemerovo, I fully admit that the duty officer simply had no one to send, since he had the only outfit that was either having lunch at that time, or was on the other side of the district, trying to «revive» the broken car. Something like this.
Perm: people are sent for domestic violence right away
A current police officer of one of the Perm departments, on condition of anonymity, agreed to tell 59.RU how they work on calls.
— Basically, the teaching staff goes to the calls. The guys have street work, — said the source. — The personnel shortage is felt in the fact that the load on us has increased. Usually, there are two employees in a pedestrian outfit, and up to three people in a traffic police outfit.
There is the concept of «call priority». If the call is for domestic violence, it takes precedence over the administration. On average, the district is equipped with 8-10 orders of the duty unit. During the day he is on duty for 3-5 orders, at night one outfit works, if any. If all the patrol squads are busy, the duty unit should send an immediate response group, in extreme cases — an investigative task force. Usually they work at the scene of the crime, but they also go to the calls of the duty unit. Also, the Russian Guard (in the past, it was called non-departmental security) leaves for calls, but I do not know if they have a staff shortage. If the outfit for some reason did not go to the call, each case is dealt with. For this, they face up to dismissal. According to the charter, we have to react and go, although many of us work over the shifts …
Omsk: 11% of district police officers are missing, but people will still be found to call
— When reporting a threat to the life of the operational duty officer, even if conditionally all crews are busy with him, there is always a reserve. There are employees on duty. He can always redistribute outfits, remove from one scene of the incident to another. You can always send someone to such a crime. As a last resort, any nearest outfit of traffic police, Rosgvardia, security company. The main thing is that someone should come, — said the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Omsk region.
In terms of personnel, the situation looks relatively good. There is, of course, a shortage of personnel, and the biggest one is among the district police officers. The shortfall there is about 11%. For all other structures of the department, this percentage is lower. An employee of a private security company, who wished to remain anonymous, also said that they are sometimes brought in to help police officers. Including teaching staff.
— To be honest, this (so that no one came to the call. — Approx. Ed.) Has not yet happened. In my lifetime, for sure, — said the interlocutor NGS55.RU.
Nizhny Novgorod region: they would come to Vera Pekhteleva
A source in the law enforcement agencies of the city of Sarov in the Nizhny Novgorod region told NN.RU that in the local police department, situations similar to the one that happened with Vera Pekhteleva are practically excluded.
— In Sarov, it is very unlikely that the police would not come to such a call. However, the outfit can travel for a long time, since it so happens that one district police officer and one patrol police outfit work for the whole city, and there are often problems with cars. This is not the fault of the management staff themselves — the reasons may be different. But in any case, a police officer or a district police officer will be sent to the address to check what happened there.
When asked whether it happens that no one was sent to the call at all, the operative clarified that this question should rather be addressed to the dispatchers on duty.
Another source of the editorial office in the power structures (an employee of the Nizhny Novgorod police) believes that the main problem is a serious shortage of personnel. That is why the outfit did not arrive at the call of Vera Pekhteleva’s neighbors, and therefore the police sometimes take too long to receive calls related to domestic violence in Nizhny Novgorod.
— Our employees go out in general to any incoming call. And if we are talking about physical violence, they also leave urgently, no one wants to go to prison later because of this. The order of calls always takes into account the severity of the crime and the presence of a threat to life. If the police do not come for a long time, then there are not enough people. We always have a shortage in the departments.
According to the employee, no attendant in any city is insured against such a call as with Vera. However, Nizhny Novgorod is larger than Kemerovo, respectively, and there are more outfits here. As a last resort, you can try to negotiate and send an outfit from another area to call.
Chelyabinsk: the group arrives at the site within five minutes
In Chelyabinsk, there are no problems with the supply of duty units and free crews, several police sources said to 74.RU at once. When the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not have enough hands, colleagues from the Russian Guard come to the rescue. In Chelyabinsk, there are several dozen additional crews every day.
— The operational duty officer from the duty department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs can transmit information about the incident through the operational duty officer of the non-departmental security. If in this case our employees do not have triggers [alarms], they can be involved, — the press service of the Rosgvardia administration in the Chelyabinsk region explained to us. — All quarters [in the city] are divided into squares, for which a certain group of detention is responsible. She also patrols this territory. If an incident occurs on its territory, this group of detention usually arrives at the scene within five minutes. When it comes to the protection and safety of citizens’ lives, the National Guardsmen can go into an apartment and detain a suspect in a crime. Police cars are now serviced through service centers and refueled with fuel cards.
— Only the dispatcher has this card in the duty rooms. When you need to refuel, the driver takes it and goes to the gas station. A change is usually given 15 liters. In principle, this is enough for a day, — says an employee of one of the units on duty in Chelyabinsk. In recent years, the provision of regional duty units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chelyabinsk, according to our interlocutors, has improved significantly. — Now our duty unit has a splendid environment. They received new cars, new computer equipment, system equipment — everything is great with them, — an employee of the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told us.
Arkhangelsk region: few people, but crime falls
The Arkhangelsk police also have staffing problems, but despite this, they say that this did not affect the quality of work. Here is what 29.RU reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the region:
— At the end of 2020, a slight decrease in registered crimes was recorded (less than 1% in the region, by 2% in Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk). At the same time, for many basic structures, the number of registered crimes is significantly decreasing. Thus, the number of robberies (by 22%), robberies (by 16.5%), murders (by 10%), burglaries (by 17%), theft of vehicles (by 17%) and a number of other illegal acts decreased. Daily systematic work did not allow complications of the criminal situation on the streets — there was a decrease in the number of crimes committed by 15.6%.
It turns out that the cities are different, but the situations are practically the same. There are not enough people everywhere, everywhere they complain about the lack of professionalism. And in each individual case, our life depends on a particular police officer — whether he will decide to save you or not, whether he will strain his subordinates or not. It is already important that the police all over the country have heard about the case of Vera Pekhteleva and will nevertheless bear in mind that saving lives depends on them …
