Putin: Police Reform Cannot Be Considered Finished

MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) – The reform of the Russian police system cannot be considered finished, and further efforts are needed to improve it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev on Saturday.

“The reform of which it has been said so much and which is being carried out perhaps cannot be considered finished. It’s necessary to think about improving the organizational legal forms,” Putin said.

“All aspects of your work are important for society,” Putin said addressing Kolokoltsev. He particularly mentioned combat against crime, extremism and terrorism and protection of the people’s and companies’ economic rights.

“Surely, there can be setbacks and betrayals in this colossal, comprehensive and far-reaching work. But it is also clear that you, the ministry’s leadership, should do all you can to ultimately reduce the number of such factors to zero,” he said.

Putin mentioned a number of decisions consolidating the Interior Ministry’s legal basis and improving its organizational system. He also praised the fact that the allowances of Interior Ministry officials and pensions of its veterans have been increased significantly of late.

However, the president pointed out that not all social problems have been resolved.

“Along with the ministry leadership, the government, and presidential institutions, we all will consider what else needs to be done so that Interior Ministry officials and their families feel that their problems have not been forgotten but are within the government’s eyesight and that the government is thinking about this and working to resolve these problems,” he said.

Putin wished success to all Interior Ministry officials.

“Not a single country can exist without an institution like the Interior Ministry. And the Interior Ministry is performing the role that society and the state have assigned to it basically well,” he said.
Kolokoltsev thanked Putin for support.

“We do understand responsibility for public order and security of our citizens that lies on our shoulders,” Kolokoltsev said. “We will do all we can to do the job that we are supposed to do,” he said.