MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday a new police law must change the force in line with public demands.
Public trust in the nation’s huge police force has been eroded by numerous cases of corruption, blackmail and torture of suspects in custody. Police shooting sprees and frequent deadly road accidents caused by drunken officers have added to public dismay.
Medvedev already has fired dozens of senior police officials and slashed thousands of Interior Ministry jobs in an effort to stem abuses and fight graft.
He said Friday that a new law must clarify police authority, particularly the situations in which officers can use force.
"That causes an acute public reaction, and it must be defined very clearly," he said in a meeting with top law-enforcement officials.
Police authority is now defined by both federal law and and by Interior Ministry documents and other documents which sometimes are hidden from the public eye. Medvedev said that from now on the new law must be the only legal document defining the rights of police.
Medvedev also proposed renaming police, which have been called militia since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. He said it should be officically called police again.
Medvedev said a draft bill would be posted on the Internet for public discussion.
