Residents of Voronezh will check the city police departments for almost two weeks. June 21, Programme Coordinator of the Interregional Human Rights Group Natalia Zvyagina held a briefing for activists in the apparatus of the regional commissioner for human rights.
The purpose of "decade" of checks of the police departments — to assess their accessibility in layman’s terms. Activists attending police control rooms should not necessarily have a law degree or special training. Their main task is to look at the police department as customer service, rather than at its compliance with certain requirements specified in the official documents, as in the case with the prosecutor's check.
Both beginners and experienced "visitors" who shared their experiences came at the meeting. Public activist Dmitry Cherenov advised to pay attention to how easy it was to find a police department to check whether there were signage, ramps, how easy it was to open the heavy iron door. To pay attention to the information on the stands inside of the department, its completeness and availability. Natalia Zvyagina added that each department should have chairs or benches, pens and paper, so that the citizen could write the statement.
'We record violations that we have seen, pass it to the leadership, but we do not make black PR,' a member of the Public Council under the State Ministry of Interior Alexander Baimurzayev said. 'We are well aware that common people work in the police, we just want to help them to correct the shortcomings.'
'When we inspect, we are interested if any rights of employees are violated,' Natalia Zvyagina added. 'For example, if there is a specially designated place for smoking, that no one had to run for the fence and smoke there.'
In Voronezh "decades" of inspections are carried out for several years. Employee of the press service of State Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Voronezh region Lyudmila Zhdanova at a meeting with the "visitors" has repeatedly stressed that the bilateral relations are already well established, the work of activists is useful and taken into account by the police, and attendants have become accustomed with activists. Based on the results of inspections analytical group writes the summary report, which is passed to the Interior Ministry leadership. However, on the part of government employees still remain some of the claims.
‘I ask to concern with understanding that within the police departments you can take pictures only in the presence of the chief,' police Major Dmitry Chebotarev said. 'And not all departments have the opportunity to make beautiful stands. Yes, A4 sheets do not look very nice, but that information is available, it is there. And yes, I beg you to take into consideration that it is better to come with inspections during working hours, ie until 18:00, because work on duty escalates in the evening.'
Associate Professor of Voronezh Institute of Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Victor Troinin inquired about the results of such inspections. Natalia Zvyagina said that after a few years in all departments of the Voronezh region police, appeared information stands, ramps and improved cross-sections.
"Decade" of the police departments check will last for two weeks. The first group will visit several duty departments on June 22. Community members plan to check not only the city departments, but also to travel around the areas of the Voronezh region. If you would like to join the group of "visitors", please contact Natalia Zvyagina.
Ekaterina Bogdanova, «7x7»
