President Putin And Interior Minister Discuss Combating Crime

Russian president Vladimir Putin met with interior minister Boris Gryzlov on Friday, according to the presidential press secretary Alexei Gromov. At the meeting on a suggestion from the president, the minister provided a detailed report on the present criminal situation in the country and the results of the fight against crime over the last 9 months since January 2001. Separate discussions were held concerning the fight with felony, street crime and the work of the local police. Gryzlov also gave details about the results of his meetings with special presidential envoys, with whom he discussed the question of setting up head departments of the Interior Ministry in the federal regions. The minister said that for the first time in many years, the number of new recruits into the interior ministry had exceeded the number of those leaving it.