Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005
From: Wladislaw George Krasnow <president@raga.org>
Subject: St. Pete's Police
Reading Fred Weir's article about the reduction of foreign tourism to Russia from 7 million in 1991 to just 3 million last year (JRL 9271, #20) I wondered if it has to do with the lack of safety on Russia's street. Below is my letter to the editor of St.Petersburg Times which I twice emailed to: letters@sptimes.ru but it bounced back, the server alleging “a permanent error.”
September 27, 2005
Letter to the Editor:
Last July, I was robbed twice in the city's beautiful downtown. Nothing to boast about. But the misfortune gave me ample opportunity to observe the work of five police units: two metro police posts and three district offices.
My observations are:
--The five police units are little more than consolation stations;
--Police officers were courteous, but hardly skilled in the paperwork they had to do;
--They lacked such requisites of modern equipment as computer data base (with photographs of the criminals); templates for writing a report; digital cameras, and handy means of telecommunications;
--Even without the modern equipment they could have done a better job of organizing office work (it took half an hour just to find a telephone number for U.S. Consulate, e.g.; only one office had a photo album on the criminals);
--They issued a crime report, "Spravka," which helped me recover a stolen railroad ticket, but the paperwork took close to an hour (so a nearly missed the train);
--Police officers seemed either confused about their jurisdiction or wanted to dump the case next door to avoid "poor statistics;"
--They seemed dedicated, but poorly trained and unmotivated to track down the criminals;
--They took no pride in their work (nor were they highly regarded by the populace);
--They were overworked and underpaid.
As law enforcement institution, St. Petersburg's police needs to be completely revamped in the way it is managed. It should be pro-active and go after criminals, not hide from them and their victims (police stations are barely visible). Without such a change, no amount of new equipment or pay raise will help.
The needed changes will cost money, but much less money than what the city loses every year as result of bad publicity each robbery creates at home and abroad.
As a fluent Russian speaker, I was treated well, but I understand that a robbed foreigner will have little recourse.
*W. George Krasnow, U.S. citizen of Russian origin, president of Russia & America Goodwill Associates (RAGA), Alexandria, Virginia, USA, tel. 703 836 2835, email: president@raga.org www.raga.org*
*Re: “Police say Tourists Cared For” by Galina Stolyarova, The St.Petersburg Times, August 26, 2005, story 15340