Serious Shortages of Policemen and Jailors Make the Lives of Russians Less Safe, ‘Important Stories’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 16 – Both the Interior Ministry and the Federal Penitentiary Service are suffering from serious shortages of personnel and the result is that Russians who need their help not only are not getting it but that the officers in both are turning to ever more repressive means to try to do their jobs, according to the Important Stories portal.

            Russia is an increasingly repressive state not only because of Kremlin polices but also  because budgetary pressures mean that 20 percent of policemen positions at the interior ministry and a third of jailor slots at the Federal Penitentiary Service – are currently unfilled (istories.media/stories/2024/09/16/nasiliya-bolshe-bezopasnosti-menshe/).

            That means that there aren’t enough policemen to respond to calls for help or guards to prevent prisoner-on-prisoner violence in the country’s places of incarceration. Moreover, those employed in these capacities often use repressive means to do their jobs and thus reduce make Russian residents even less safe.

            The situation is becoming worse not just because of budgetary stringencies but also because ever more of those who might be willing to become policemen or jailors have chosen to go to fight in Ukraine where bonuses and pay are significantly higher, the Important Stories portal says.

            Unless this situation is corrected, the Russian state may find itself with ever fewer policemen and jailors and the Russian people with ever fewer prospects for defending their lives and liberties.