Poll shows Russians know more, largely approve of Investigations Committee
(Interfax – 14 January)
Moscow – According to the poll carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM), the Russian Investigations Committee (RIC) is the most effective law-enforcement body in the fight against corruption.
The poll was conducted in 38 regions in 146 population centres among 1,600 respondents on 22-24 December. Its results were published on the eve of the second anniversary of the formation of the RIC.
Assessing the success of a number of law-enforcement structures in combating crimes involving corruption, the people of Russia deemed the activities of the RIC the most productive (25 per cent). In 2011, the figure was 17 per cent. According to the results of the study, over the past two years, the RIC’s position in the effectiveness ranking of security agencies has strengthened (from 36 to 42 per cent), and it is now ranked third.
The poll showed that the head of the RIC directorate for media relations (Sergey Markin) was the best known among spokesmen for law-enforcement bodies – 60 per cent of citizens know him from TV and radio appearances and press reports.
The pollsters have registered an increase in the public awareness of the activities of the RIC in general: whereas 44 per cent were in some way aware of this structure in 2010, today two-thirds of those polled (67 per cent) know about it.
The poll also showed that the people of Russia followed the “high-profile” criminal investigations. Thus, 70 per cent of those polled heard from the media about the results of the investigations into the criminal cases of the mass loss of human life as a result of the flooding in Krymsk (75 per cent), the fire at the Lame Horse nightclub (81 per cent), the loss of the motor ship Bulgariya (70 per cent) and the terrorist act in Domodedovo (70 per cent); over 60 per cent, about the investigation into the terrorist acts in the Moscow metro (67 per cent), the murder of Novaya Gazeta political correspondent Anna Politkovskaya (65 per cent) and the criminal case over the mass disturbances in Bolotnaya Ploshchad (Square) (64 per cent). Over 50 per cent of citizens know about the results of the investigation into the murder of former colonel Yuriy Budanov (51 per cent), the criminal case against the members of the “Kushchevskaya gang” (55 per cent) and so on. The level of awareness of the results of high-profile criminal investigations does not fall below 38 per cent.
The VTsIOM study also showed that 36 per cent of those polled supported the actions of the RIC in launching and investigation a criminal case against Sergey Udaltsov, Leonid Razvozzhayev and others over preparations to organize mass disturbances in the country (19 per cent did not support these actions). The RIC’s actions in investigating the criminal case over mass unrest in Bolotnaya Ploshchad have the approval of 34 per cent of those polled (25 per cent disapprove of this criminal case).