Police to work better after layoffs, says Interior Minister

The recent personnel layoffs in the Russian police will make it far more efficient now that it is clean of corrupt officers. "Corruption has long been part and parcel of Russian life. This service was brave enough to fight traitors in its own ranks," Boris Gryzlov, federal Interior Minister, said at an opening gala of the Public Safety Police HQ.

Efforts against deliberately underrated crime statistics, another police problem, are nearing a successful end. Detection is improving - suffice it to mention the notorious Orekhovo gang, to which Moscow policemen recently dealt a fatal blow. "That was not a final victory over organised crime in the city - yet it proves that the mafia is not invincible. We can fight it to good effect," said the minister.