Most Russians distrust police

Restoring trust in the police force, which was at an all-time low in the nineties, has been one of the main aims of the Russian Interior Ministry. This was announced yesterday by Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov while speaking to students of the Saint Petersburg State Technical University. In his opinion, the police should not be a punitive force but simply provide law and order. Mr Gryzlov said that 'trust in the police has noticeably increased over the two and a half years that I have headed the ministry.' However, he also stressed that many people, in fact over 50%, still distrust the Russian police.