RUSSIA: DUMA: CRIME DEBATE скачать в хорошем качестве

RUSSIA: DUMA: CRIME DEBATE

(11 Mar 1995) Russian/Nat The Russian parliament was debating crime on Friday, with the police no nearer to finding the killers of TV journalist Vladislav Listyev. Confidence in the country's police and other law enforcement agencies is at an all-time low following Listyev's murder. Russia's usually chaotic parliament got down to business promptly for once - a reflection perhaps of the shock felt by the whole country at the murder last week of Vladislav Listyev. The politicians' answer was to pass a vote of no-confidence in the Interior Minister Viktor Yerin. The vote is unlikely to result in Yerin's dismissal. But it's a strong expression of the parliament's lack of confidence in the government. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "Firing one Minister will not change the situation or the problem. I think that we should change the root problem, the policy itself, and that responsibility for the authorities should be placed under government control." SUPER CAPTION: Gennady Zyuganov, Leader Russian Communist Party SOUNDBITE: (Russian) " Excuse me, but in the three years since the end of the Soviet regime, they could have looked for ways to improve the work of the police and fight against organised crime." SUPER CAPTION: Father Gleb Yakunin, Russia's Choice Party And excuses that the police are understaffed, under equipped and underpaid were rejected by the head of the Duma's security committee. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "That's just an accompanying element. We had a similar situation before in the law-enforcement agencies, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, but we never saw such a rise in crime to the point where it became a national woe." SUPER CAPTION: Viktor Ilyukhin, Chairman Duma Security Committee While confidence in the capital's crime busters is at an all-time low, applications to study at Moscow's police academy are on the rise. Over 70 applicants compete for each of the places. Not all of the 540 children go on to fight crime but many parents value the combination of study and sport which, according to the college, makes for a healthy mind and a healthy body. The college takes boys from age 12 to 18 and many are children of serving policemen who hope to follow in their father's footsteps. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) " I want to achieve something in life, but our government should understand that you can't live without the police, our society cannot exist without them." SUPER CAPTION: Sasha, 14-Year old Police Cadet Despite the widespread criticisms of the police being voiced at the moment, many of the boys aspire to lofty ideals. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "The main thing is to serve in the force and stand up for one's country, all the rest isn't important." SUPER CAPTION: Dima, 14-year old Police Cadet But this year for the first time most of the boys want to become prosecutors or lawyers rather than patrol Russia's streets. A sign of the times and not a good sign for the future. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...