On 24 December 2009 the Russian President signed an executive order on measures to improve the work of the internal affairs agencies of the Russian Federation.

The executive order is published on the President’s official web portal.

The Interregional Committee against Torture quotes the order in full:

“The state internal affairs agencies perform an important function of protecting the life, health, rights and interests of Russian citizens.

Taking into account that that there has been a recent increase in offences against law and disciplinary infractions committed by police officers, which spark a negative reaction within the society, and that the existing structure of the interior affairs agencies, organization of their activity, their staffing, logistics and administration do not meet present-day requirements and needs modernization, I therefore instruct:

1. The Russian Federation Government is:

а) to prepare by March 31, 2010 its suggestions:

on the transition to exclusively federal budgetary funding of public security police by January 1, 2012;

the composition, size, and procedures regulating the establishment of public security police units will be set by the RF Government;

b) to consider the issue of increasing the share of federal budgetary funding allocated for additional pecuniary motivation of the RF internal affairs agencies’ staff, in particular using the funds released through the staff size decrease; and to prepare its suggestions on reforming the remuneration system of the above mentioned staff by January 1, 2009;

c) to prepare within two months its proposals:

on amendments to legislative acts concerning the internal affairs agencies’ structure optimisation, relieving the police of functions unrelated to its primary tasks,

improving supply and support of RF internal affairs agencies’ operations;

d) to reorganize professional training in state vocational training institutions under the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to optimize their quantity, improve the selection of applicants;

e) to develop housing schemes for Russian police officers;

f) to prepare suggestions to amend the Acts of the Russian Federation President in accordance with the present Executive Order;

g) to bring other acts into compliance with the present Executive Order.

2. To cut the number of internal affairs staff by 20 percent by January 1, 2012.

3. To cut the number of Departments in the RF Ministry of the Interior by 2 in order to optimize management of the RF internal affairs agencies.

4. To make sure that the number of deputy heads of regional internal affairs agencies does not exceed 3 people.

5.  Within three months the Ministry of the Interior is:

а) to review within three months the procedure for selecting job candidates for the RF internal affairs agencies taking into account the candidates’ moral and psychological qualities, in order to improve the level of professionalism among Russian internal affairs agencies’ staff;

b) to come up with suggestions on improving the structure of these agencies, to make sure that their functions are not duplicated, authorities and staff are allocated for the purposes of combating crime and ensuring public safety;

c) to develop a set of anti-corruption measures within the Ministry of the Interior, including:

to introduce the practice of key personnel rotation;

to introduce anticorruption educational programmes into the curriculum of vocational training and extended education institutions preparing staff for the RF internal affairs agencies;

to work out an evaluation system based on scientific research to assess the work of the RF internal affairs agencies, including introduction of automated management processes and modern technologies.

6. To amend Executive Order no. 927 of the RF president dated 19 July 2004 “Issues of the Russian Federation Ministry of Internal Affairs” (RF Legislation Collection, 2004, no0, p.3149; 2006,no.24, p.2584; no.39, p.4037; 2007, no.13, p.1540; 2008, no.27, p.3250; no.37, p.4182; no.43, p.4921; no.47, p.5431; no.49, p.5762; 2009, no.9, p.1088) by making the third paragraph of clause 2 read as follows:

“up to 13 departments and 1 administration for major Ministry functions, Investigation Committee under the RF Ministry of the Interior and Chief Command of the Internal Security Troops under the RF Ministry of the Interior.”

7. to declare clause b of paragraph 1 of President’s Executive  Order no.233 dated 28 February 2009 “On regional bodies of the RF Ministry of the Interior” (RF Legislation Collection, 2009, no.9, p.1088) null and void.

8. The executive order comes into force upon its signature.”