52% of Russians think the police need to shape up

A majority (52%) of Russians disapprove of the way the police handle their duties, ROMIR Monitoring found in a recent nationwide survey on Russian attitudes toward the Internal Affairs Ministry. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the work of the police, but only 9% of those surveyed gave the police a rating of excellent.

Nonetheless, 39% of Russians would turn to the police for help if they were threatened by crime. However, 36% of those surveyed (a total of 1,500 individuals were polled) said they would turn for help to friends and acquaintances.

In other findings, 39% of those polled said the police should get rid of corrupt elements in their own ranks. In addition, 20% of Russians want the police to deal more courteously with citizens, and 16% said police were lacking in professionalism.

In addition, 54% of Russians judged the recent arrests of major police officials for bribe-taking and extortion as attempts to raise the popularity of the force on the eve of the elections to the State Duma. However, 24% of those surveyed viewed the arrests as the start of a struggle against corruption and organized crime.