During the times of the USSR, police patrols did not carry batons, handcuffs and pistols with them. In the USSR, there was no such thing as riot police, nor were there any private security firms. There were no security guards in stores, schools or hospitals. There were no code locks and no entry phones on doors.
Entrance to the Moscow City Council was free for everyone and one did not have to have a pass. Yet, property and their owners require security. In the modern world, entrepreneurs have to protect their children, because they can be kidnapped for the purpose of ransom. In modern-day Russia, police officers wear flak jackets, batons, handcuffs and even machine guns.
Also read: What was it like to live in the Soviet Union?
In modern-day Russia, schools have become fortresses. The number of security guards in shopping malls can be larger than the number of shoppers. Yet, all these security measures do not guarantee security.
When teenagers and even children become criminals, it means that the society, which they live in, is terminally ill. Some blame the modern film and television industry for rampant criminality. Indeed, scenes of terrible violence and unimaginable brutality on TV cause irreparable damage to children's psyche. Underage individuals get accustomed to brutality and violence - they are led to believe that there is nothing extraordinary in killings and violence.
It is worthy of note that in Soviet times, even detective stories and war films did not contain scenes of naturalism. Soviet films were focused on heroism of soldiers or intrigue of investigation, rather than the sight of corpses in an autopsy room, severed limbs or human liver in a glass jar.
Yet, the main reason for rampant criminality is not about the influence of mass media on human psyche. The main reason is about people's attitude to property. Brushing aside drunken brawls, hooliganism and jealousy, the vast majority of serious crimes are based on the desire to possess property.
During the times of socialism, when even a common apartment did not belong to those living in it (one could not either buy or sell apartments), not to mention land, factories, banks, etc., the desire to possess property was reduced to a minimum. Nowadays, when the principle of private property is one of the dominating ones in our society, all fight against all for business, inheritance, etc. This is where crime comes from; this is the reason why you can see armed police officers in peace time.
Newsinfo
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