Russian region rewarding policemen for refusing bribes
Aleksandr Rechitsky, head of the Interior Ministry's regional office, told reporters on Tuesday that the new practice is being carried out 'in accordance with [his] order,' as a reward for taking a strong anti-corruption stance.
'Every amount offered is transferred to the officer in full,' he said.
Rechitsky added that criminal proceedings are being launched against those attempting to pay off police. More than 25 such cases have been opened over the past two months alone, he said.
The initiative is seen as a way to encourage law enforcement to remain honest, particularly in cases involving small to medium-sized bribes, such as those often offered to traffic police by drunk drivers or people facing civil charges.
According to data cited by Rechitsky, police recorded 767 corruption-related crimes in the first half of the year, many in the economic sphere. Authorities intercepted 260 bribery attempts, with 135 uncovered by Interior Ministry officers.
Former policeman Ivan Artamonov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that the payments likely cover bribes ranging from 25,000 up to 150,000 rubles ($321 to nearly $2,000). Defense lawyer Dmitry Ivanov, who specializes in corruption cases, said documenting bribes and their exact value is a complicated legal process.
Such incentives are not new in Russia. Similar systems have been tested in Moscow in the past, as well as in Tatarstan, where officers were even awarded with apartments for exposing bribery.
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