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Speaking at an enlarged meeting of the Interior Ministry Collegium, President Vladimir Putin said that the decline in the work of the Interior Ministry’s main services and departments had been practically overcome in 2005, but that there were still a number of problems to be addressed, including problems of a systemic nature.

The crime situation in the country remains serious. Around a million serious and very serious crimes were registered last year and the practice of deliberately not registering crimes has still not been eradicated.

Public opinion surveys show that the police force has one of the lowest levels of public confidence among the various law enforcement agencies and state and public institutions, Mr Putin said. People who turn to the police encounter sometimes not just indifference but even outright arbitrariness. There are quite frequent cases of breaches of citizens’ rights by Interior Ministry personnel, including during investigation work.

The President said that this situation is directly linked to the low professional level of some members of the police force and to shortcomings in human resources and training work.

A high level of legal culture is a fundamental condition for ensuring the worthy service of those whose task is not just to observe the law but to work to make it stronger, Mr Putin said.