About the experience of carrying out an experiment on consideration of reported crimes only by investigators and interrogators

Seasonable response to the reports on imminent and committed crimes to law enforcement agencies is an essential aspect of prevention and suppression of criminal acts. Substandard performance of professional duties by employees when they conduct procedural checking results in impunity and negative attitude of citizens to the work of law enforcement agencies, undermines authority of the government, and, eventually, breaks the principle of inevitability of punishment for criminal acts. The authors analyzed the results of experiment by means of studying the statistics and conducting a qualitative analysis of materials of procedural checking in law-enforcement bodies under experiment in the Kemerovo region. The following was assessed positively: effectiveness, quality, legality and terms of preliminary investigation (certainly, with improvement in dynamics in comparison with the same period of the last year). Negative factors set by the experimental conditions are: the increased load when submitted materials are considered by one full-time investigator, poor quality of execution of commissions of investigators about investigation and search operations, problems in the organizations of interaction between the officials of law enforcement agencies, unreasonable extension of terms of checking, assignment of responsibility for the results of verification of the reported crimes only on the investigator. It is possible to improve the situation without creating new divisions provided with functions in the organization and conducting of checking of reported crimes. It is possible to find the necessary qualified job positions by reconfiguration of staffing having reduced the supporting services staff (logistic units, legal and personnel divisions, information centers). Their functions shall be delegated to the civilian employees and this will increase the number of staff of the divisions involved in detection and investigation of crimes. Liability for illegal refusal to initiate criminal proceedings based on Item 2, Part 1, Article 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation (when a person has not been identified) has to be allocated only to the staff of the divisions involved in the operational search activity, but not on the person ( investigator or interrogator) who is forced to make any decision to provide the existing procedure for the checking of a reported crime within the legal period.

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