Russia's Postal Service is Awarded international prize

Russia's Postal Security Service has been given a World Mail Award. The awarding ceremony took place in Amsterdam, May 13. The World Mail Award programme was launched in 2000 and has ever since aimed to spread the most recent world expertise of doing postal business and to emphasise its role in international trade and information exchanges. The Russian Postal Security Service was given the award in the Postal Security nomination. Along with ensuring safety of mail items, the Russian International Post Office's foremost concern is to prevent the postal network from being used for posting material, particularly biohazardous material, and illicit drugs threatening people's lives and health, as well as national and international security, said Igor Syrtsov, General Director of Russia's International Post Office, also a prize winner. In 2001, the Service exposed close on 3,000 violations of the domestic and international postal laws, prevented over 600 mail theft cases, 3,500 attempts to spread fake post stamps and to send 357 items of small arms. The Service took additional measures to ensure mail security against bioterror attacks. Russia's Postal Security Service has compiled a series of handbooks which are used throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS. The All-World Post Union has recommended the handbooks be used by all its member countries