Police of Russia (Rossyiah)

In the Russian Empire, the overall management of the public security services is assigned to Main Directorate of Police and Public Security (Russian: Главное Yправление Полиции и Oбщественной Безопасности, ГYOБ Glavnoye Upravleniye Politsii i Obshchestvennoy Bezopasnosti, GUPOB), aslo known ss simply as Police (Полиция Politsiya) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).

The Governor is the highest authority of public security in the provinces and, with regard to the functions of the police, he may adopt the necessary measures for the protection of public order and public security. The Governorate Police Director (Директор полиции провинции, Direktor politsii provintsii) exercises the technical direction of all police services and public order in the Governorate.

The Politsiya is under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and part of the armed forces of the state, therefore being subject to the military law of peace and war, and, in the case of violations, judged by military courts.

Each of the components (Governors and Politsiya) follows its own rules of reference with regard to disciplinary measures, professional training, remuneration and career prospects.

As of 2013, the overall strength of the Politsiya is 1,483.982, excluding support organisations such as the Russian Guard, but including support personnel.

The main and foremost function and mission of the whole Politsiya is to protect the public order and security, to protect the individual citens' security, legitimate interests and properties and to provide rescue for those who are in jeopardy. In case of necessity, the Politsiya, through the lawfully pre-determined bodies, is entlited to issue decisions on or propose the suspension or termination of operations of agencies, organisations or individuals which are detrimental to public order and security; to requisition means of transport, communication equipments and other technical means of agencies, organisations, individuals and operators or users of such means according to the provisions of law.

Functions of the whole apparatus of the Politsiya include taking part to protect the Tsar and the State, protecting life and properties of the Russian peoples, to contribute to protect high-ranking leading officials of the IRO and the State and foreign guests, to contribute to safeguard important events, targets and key projects of national security, foreign representative offices, representatives of Russia-based international organisations, individuals holding or closely related to state secrets.

Other functions include advising the State on protection of national security and maintenance of social order and security, performing the unified management in protection and maintenance of social order and security, preventing and fighting against crimes of all types and violations of law on national security as well as social order and safety. In order to carry out such duties, the Politsiya is tasked to collect information, analyze, evaluate and predict situation and propose the State to promulgate and direct the implementation of guidelines, policies, laws and strategies on protection and maintenance of public order and security. Such pieces of information, because their vastity and diversity, are collected by the whole Politsiya and by all its Directorates, each according the relevant information required. Such functions, mainly the information gathering, are carried out by the Politsiya and other bodies of the MVD as well as by the SVB.

Main Directorate of Police and Public Security

In Russia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs provides for the protection of public security. Under the direct dependence of the Ministry there is the Main Directorate of Police and Public Security (Russian: Главное Yправление Полиции и Oбщественной Безопасности, ГYOБ Glavnoye Upravleniye Politsii i Obshchestvennoy Bezopasnosti, GUPOB), central governing body comprising all police services, both preventive and repressive ones; both Civil service officials and personnel (strictly for non police-related duties) and Police service personnel are assigned to the GUPOB.
The GUPOB mainly deals with non-political crime (although there are departments which deal with politically-oriented offences), public order and general police duties. In particular, offices of the GUPOB oversee services related to the maintenance of public order and public safety, prevention and repression of crime, for the protection of public security, the protection of public morality and decency and the transportation police.

Central organisation

The GUPOB is headed by the Chief of Russian Police and it is centrally organised into several Directorates and bodies:

• Investigation Committee;
• Directorate for Criminal Investigations;
• Department of Economic Investigations: it deals with adopting measures to combat tax-related and economic crimes;
• Directorate for Public Order;
• Directorate for Countering extremism;
• Directorate for Border Police
• Directorate for Transportation Police;
  • Road Safety Division;
  • Transport Law Enforcement Division;
• Directorate for Scientific Police and Forensics
  • Forensic Centre
• Directorate for Financial and Economic Affairs;
• Directorate of Logistics;
• Directorate of Personnel;
• Restricted Territories and Restricted Facilities Law Enforcement Department.
• Legal Department
• Administrative Department
• Higher Centre for Information and Analysis
• Directorate for State Protection of Property
• Directorate of Drug Control
• National Central Bureau of Interpol
• Directorate of IT and Electronic Crimes
• Directorate for Special investigations and covert surveillance
• Inspectorate for Internal Affairs

Investigation Committee

The Investigation Committee essential mandate covers the formulation of proposals on the framing of the State’s policy with regard to the investigation of criminal activities and the organization of the work of the preliminary investigation authorities. The Investigative Department is a body whose tasks are to investigate the most complex, international and interregional, criminal cases related to the investigators of the internal affairs bodies.

Directorate for Criminal Investigations

The Directorate for Criminal Investigations deals with investigation and disclosure of criminal offenses. In addition to its other work supervises in terms of organization and methods the criminal investigation units of the criminal police authorities in the territorial subdivisions.

Directorate for Public Order

The Directorate for Public Order is one of the most important offices within the whole Police because it deals with the top-level management of public order services, mainly on sensitive occasions. The Directorate is also in charge of development and implementation of state policy in the field of public order and security, legal regulation in this area and organizational and methodological leadership of the departments of the public security police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Directorate is closely connected with the Governorate police commands, as well as with other information channels such as SVB and police intelligence bodies, for the management of public order on the occasion of important events, including rallies, demonstrations and other mass events. The Directorate of Public Order is therefore the body which is responsible for the deployment and the guidance of the Russian Guard units, of the non-territorial police units for both public order and rescue operations in case of public calamities. The Directorate is also responsible for the oversight of the objectives of public interest and of diplomatic and service of security for foreign dignitaries temporarily visiting in Italy. The Public Order Section is the terminal point all police bodies tasked of preserving the public order and security, including the Directorate for Countering Extremism.
The Directorate includes five Divisions:

• Division for Strategic Policy and Analysis: the Division prepares guidelines on the management of public events and provisions for the use of riot forces. To achieve this, it plans public order services or for rescue operations, requesting the Russian Guard to provide to the Police autorities any special units and decides on any temporary personnel aggregations for such services. The Division also monitors and analyses events and other events relevant to public order, prepares the daily reports and produces statistical analysis. The Division is directed by a Major General of the Russian Guard.
• Division for Official Events, Surveillance and Emergency: the Division is in charge of official events attended by the most important State and Party leaders. In addition, it deals with the most critical situations and with surveillance operations. Therefore, it prepares guidelines on public order services on the occasion of such events, as it is responsible for the preparation of guidelines for the visits of foreign dignitaries in Russia. As regards the surveillance and emergency preparation activities, the Sector prepares the appropriate directives and emergency planning and crisis management that require the intervention of the Armed Forces. Finally, it is responsible for participation in exercises and international working groups for cooperation activities in the field of public security.
• Division for Sports Violence: the Division is responsible for the management of sports violence. Therefore, it mainly carries out studies and research for the prevention of violence in sport, performing a dynamic analysis of the illegality related to sporting events and establish the guidelines that result. The Division therefore takes the relations with the government's national and international sporting and other organs of the whole Main Directorate for the coordination of law enforcement activities.
• Division for Civil Defence: Office IV is in charge for the management of Politsyia contribution and intervention to civil defence operations in case of natural or man-made disasters.
• Division for licences and permits.

Directorate for Countering extremism

The Directorate for Countering Extremism (Russian: Управление по Противодействию Экстремизму, УПЭ Upravleniye po Protivodeystviyu Ekstremizmu, UPE, also known as "Directorate E") is the body in charge for combating terrorism and political radicalism. The Directorate's task includes addressing challenges such as political extremism, anarchism, communism, subversion, republicanism, Islamism and separatism (especially in Caucasus), and supporting the SVB. There is no clear definition of ‘extremism’ in Russia.
The Directorate monitors social networks in search of content promoting extremism, ethnic or religious hatred. The responsibility of countering political and religious extremism is shared between the Directorate E and the SVB’s Directorate for the Protection of the State. As a rule, the SVB takes on prominent or relevant cases. The police are left with street activism.
Its remit is completely obscure – its officers are neither police, nor officially part of a pro-Kremlin movement.
The headquarters of the Directorate for Countering Extremism consists of nine Divisions:

• Division for Confidential Affairs;
• Division for Organized Crime;
• Division for Counterterrorism;
• Division for Political Affairs: it deals with banned groups and political parties that keep operating under a different name;
• Division for ensuring the security of persons subject to state protection.
• Division for religious extremism: it mainly deals with Islamism and Islamic extremism;
• Division for separatist extremism;
• Division for suppressing extremism at public events;
• Division for economic activities of extremist organizations.

Operational units of the Directorate exist in all seats of Governorates of 1st Class and in other relevant cities.

Operational methods

For the officers (nicknamed Эшники Eshniki), the eradication of organised crime and terrorism is a mission they carry out with quasi-religious zeal, and they consequently hold little regard for the legality or otherwise of their actions. Dividing society into ‘baddies’ and the rest, the officers reportedly do not shrink from using force during interrogations, and planting forged evidence (usually drugs) on suspects whose role in other crimes they are unable to prove.
The Directorate’s workers actively search the social media accounts of oppositionists and activists. They look for information about protests organised by the opposition and join discussion groups in order to provoke others. Directorate employees also go to rallies - first and foremost to record any new demonstrators, but sometimes also to harass participants.

Directorate for Border Police

The Directorate for Border Police is responsible for the issuing of Russian international passports, resident registration and immigration control in Russia. The Directorate is one of the largest investigative agency in the Russian government. The Directorate for Border Police works alongside the Migration Committee of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and with the Border Service of the SVB.
The Directorate consists of seven Divisions:

• Division for Immigration Control;
• Division for Citizenship Affairs;
• Division for Immigrants;
• Division for the organization of visas and registration;
• Division of external labor migration;
• Division for the organization of passports and registration of public accounting;
• Division of International and Public Affairs.

Directorate of Personnel

The Directorate of Personnel is responsible for supervising the personnel divisions of the internal affairs authorities and the Police’s educational establishments. The Directorate is subdivided into:

• Division for Police Schools;
• Division for General Affairs and personnel;
• Division for Personnel and Litigation;
• Organizational and Inspectorate Department, whose principal responsibilities include the analysis and planning of the Ministry’s operational activities and also the organization of oversight and auditing activities within the system of the Ministry of the Interior.

Directorate for Financial and Economic Affairs

The Directorate for Financial and Economic Affairs is in charge for sustaining and financing the Main Directorate. It is divided into two Divisions:

• Department for Accounting Services;
• Department for Budgeting which is involved in the formulation and implementation of government policy with regard to the financing of the internal affairs authorities, the interior forces and the Federal Migration Service.

Directorate of Logistics

The Directorate of Logistics provides support and performs the functions of a ministry in formulating and implementing State policy in the areas of logistic and medical support, information technology and communications within the system of the MVD. The Directorate has five Divisions:

• Division of Contracts and supplies management;
• Division of Police Health Service;
• Division of Police barracking;
• Division of Technical Services and Telecommunications;
• Division of Motorization.

Territorial Organization

The Main Directorate of Police and Public Security is organized across the Russian Empire with boundaries coinciding with Governorates and Governorates-General.

Governorate Police Directorate

The performance of police services is provided by provincial and local offices. The Governorate Police Directorate (Russian: Губе́рния Управление Полиции, usually shortened with the acronym ГУП with the name of the Governorate seat; Guberniya Upravleniye Politsii, usually shortened with the acronym GUP with the name of the Governorate seat) is the basic unit of law enforcement of the Russian Empire. It exists one Police Directorate for each Governorate: currently there are 163 such Directorates.

The offices of the Governorate Police are divided into four divisions: the first waits to services more directly aimed at the maintenance of order, the second provides for the discovery of the crime and is maintained for such purposes, in direct contact with the judicial authorities and the third exercises functions of a preventive nature, while the territorial control activity is performed by the fourth Division in conjunction with the Russian Guard when needed.

The Governorate Police Directorate is led by an officer ranking between Lieutenant Colonel of Police and Lieutenant General of Police. Within the police apparatus, the GUP is tasked with the direct execution and performance of police and security services. Every Directorate has its seat in the seat of the Governorate, depending on the relevant Governor and responding to the central GUPOB.

Classification

The Governorate Police Directorates are classified according to the classification of the relevant Governorate; in some cases an analysis may be conducted through a method that includes the incidence of measurable variables with quantitative and statistical data and the politically, strategic and subversive sensitivity of the individual site.

• 1st Class: Governorate Police Directorates of Moscow, Petrograd, Sevastopol and Tashkent;
• 2nd Class: Other Special Cities;
• 3rd Class: Other Governorates 1st Class;
• 4th Class: Governorates 2nd Class;
• 5th Class: Governorates 3rd Class.

Police Directorates falling within the 1st Class are in charge of highly sensitive urban environments. Therefore, each Police Directorate of this category is led by a Lieutenant General of Police and the local criminal investigation department is an autonomous division and consists of 10 Sections.
Police Directorates within the 2nd Class guard the other Special Cities, intrinsically sensitive and delicate, although not as sensitive as 1st Class Special Cities. These Police Directorates are also led by a Lieutenant General of Police (junior in rank to those assigned to the 1st Class Directorates), but their criminal investigation departments are not autonomous and have 8 Sections each. Police Directorates of 3rd Class oversee Governorates 1st Class and, while special situations and needs may occur, their needs are met by Major Generals of Police. 4th Class Police Directorates are in charge of Governorates 2nd Class and are led by a senior Colonel of Police. Directorates of both classes have 5 Sections in their criminal investigations departments.
Eventually, Police Directorates of 5th Class are in charge of quiet and peaceful Governorates of 3rd Class. This tranquillity is met by a newly-promoted Colonel or, in some limited cases, by a more senior officer. Their investigations departments have 4 Sections each. The Police Directorates of 5th Class have an organic layout of a minimum of 172 operators. This staff is made up of the Police Director, 9 Officers and 162 Agents and Subofficers, as well as 1 Medical Officer and 1 Medical Subofficer.

General organization

The offices of the Police Directorate are divided into four divisions: the first (General Affairs) waits to services more directly aimed at the maintenance of order in direct contact with the Russian Guard, the second (Criminal) provides for the discovery of the crime and is maintained for such purposes, in direct contact with the judicial authorities and the third (administrative police) exercises functions of a preventive nature, while the territorial control activity is performed by the fourth Division with the cooperation of the Russian Guard when needed. Each Division is directed by a senior officer, ranking Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel of Police.

• Operations Room
• Division I (General Affairs): the General Affairs Division includes both operational and administrative support offices.
• Division II (Criminal police): Criminal investigations department, Identification Cabinet, Forensic Police Cabinet, Permanent Criminal Records of the judicial police, Identity cards and notifications register and Criminal general archive.
• Division III (Administrative police): administrative police affairs and archives. The Administrative Division includes within its activities the issuance of various permits, such as commercial permits of public security, passports and weapons licenses; within the Division there are also police offices for minors and social policing, as well as Foreigners and Immigrants office.
• Division IV (Patrol Service): the Division deals with prevention activities, police intelligence, patrols and territorial control.

Special Directorates of Police

In each Governatorate-General exists a Special Directorate of Police (Russian: Специальное Управление Полиции, СУП Spetsial'noye Upravleniye Politsii SUP), linking Moscow and the Governatorate-level Police Directorates within the Governorate-General and directing the latter ones. The Special Directorates operate reporting to both the Chief of Police for the exercise of the decentralised inspection and control functions in all offices and to the relevant Governor-General for the carrying out of the decentralised organisational and administrative functions. The Special Directorates also contribute also to the development of plans and programs relating to the procurement, supply and allocation of human resources, equipment and logistics and the related checks. The Special Directorates are based in Governorate-General capital cities or towns.
Current Special Directorates of Police are:

• Special Directorate of Tbilisi: HQs in Tbilisi and in charge for the Viceroyalty of Caucasus;
• Special Directorate of Riga: HQs in Riga and in charge for the Baltic General Governorate;
• Special Directorate of Tashkent: HQs in Tashkent and in charge for the Russian Turkestan.

Mission

The Directorates have a primary responsibility for general affairs, for the personnel and resources use to meet temporary requirements, for transfers for environmental compatibility and to return to service. The Special Directorates are headed by Colonel-Generals of Police. The fact that the Special Directorate reports only and directly to the Chief of Police determines that it can be used (and sometimes it is actually used) to bypass central Directorates; this allows a strengthening of the local Police Director's technical say, against the local Governor's opinion, which may not be so technically qualified. The Special Directorate also functions as collector from logistics and support services Divisions, in order to provide an unified management.

Organization

Each Directorate is subdivided into eight Divisions:

• General Affairs Division: it deals with general support activities. The Division includes the Secretariat, the Inspection and Audit Office (one of the most important office within the Directorates) and the Legal Office.
• Personnel Division: the Personnel Division deals with personnel transfers and includes the Recurring Temporary Needs Office, the Emergency Needs Office and the offices designed to assess the proposed environmental incompatibility (the Personnel Assessment Office) and to provide and alternative see (Transfers Office).
• Health Service Division;
• TLC Division;
• Motorisation and Logistics Division;
• Facilities Division;
• Planning and Organisation Division;
• Internal Affairs Division.

Internal Affairs Division

The Internal Affairs Division deals with disciplinary and order enforcement matters within police personnel of the GUPOB; therefore, as it is should be emphasised, this organisation falls outside the military police duties.
The Internal Affairs Division is aimed to provide discipline, integrity and order enforcement: the political surveillance is carried out by the apposite organisations.
The Internal Affairs Division acts as a territorial terminal of the Inspectorate for Internal Affairs. The Division is organised into three offices: a Secretariat and two operational offices: Police Ethics and Integrity Office and Police Misconduct Office.

See also

• Law enforcement in the Russian Empire