Every year, on the twenty-fifth of July Russian Federation celebrated day river police. It is worth noting that the holiday was previously called “River Police Day” (until two thousand and eleven). But after the federal law “On Police” came into force in two thousand and eleven, the name of the holiday also changed.
Division history
In the second half of the nineteenth century, a project was approved to create such a unit as the river police. It was then that this structural unit was mentioned for the first time. To be more precise, the project to create the river police as a separate structural unit was approved by the emperor in June 1867. The new structural unit initially became part of the special external police. The responsibilities of the newly organized special unit included maintaining order on the numerous canals of St. Petersburg (as well as on the Neva River and the coastline of the Gulf of Finland).
The river police patrolled the waters of St. Petersburg (at that time it had the status of the capital of the Russian State), supervised ships, piers, fish tanks, baths and other water bodies. She was involved in suppressing the import of smuggled goods into the capital by water, participated in the inspection of cargo, and so on. The responsibilities of the water police included combating theft on the water, as well as preventing and extinguishing fires were also one of the responsibilities of this structural unit.
Somewhat later, structural units of the river law enforcement agency began to be created in other cities with water areas.
After one thousand nine hundred and seventeen (as you know, the October Revolution took place this year), the river police, in general, like almost the entire law enforcement system of Russia, was abolished. However, a year later, or more precisely on the twenty-fifth of July one thousand nine hundred and eighteen, according to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On the establishment of the river police,” a “new old” structural unit of law enforcement agencies of a socialist country was created. It is this date that can be considered the “birthday” of the modern prototype of the Russian river police.
Features of the unit's work
A peculiarity of the work of this unit was that initially each city had its own river police unit (later police). For more effective work results, later this structural association began to work across entire river basins.
From its foundation to the present time, this structural unit of law enforcement agencies has been engaged in the following activities:
1. The fight against crime and offenses on water bodies and water transport facilities.
2. Identification of economic crimes.
3. Combating illegal weapons trafficking.
4. Fight against poaching.
How is the holiday celebrated?
Water police officers, celebrating their professional holiday, receive congratulations from their management and from their colleagues. Also, particularly distinguished police officers receive state prizes and awards. Very often, all kinds of concert events are held, with the invitation of domestic and foreign pop stars (respectively, when it comes to major cities). In smaller populated areas, this holiday of the law enforcement water structural unit is celebrated with a festive concert in a city, rural or village house of culture. Also, on their professional day, water police officers can visit secondary and higher educational institutions, kindergartens and talk about their service, thereby instilling respect and honor for this profession in the younger generation.
The role of the river police in the life of modern society
Currently, it is difficult to underestimate the contribution of the river police to ensuring order and law on the territory of the Russian Federation. Our country has a huge river basin, the rivers, in turn, are filled natural resources, among which are also species of fish listed in the Red Book of Nature. River policemen fight poachers, thereby preventing the irreparable depletion of certain population species of rivers, prevent the commission of crimes on the water, inspect barges, steamships, boats, river scooters, allow or prohibit this transport from sailing (this is done for the safety of passengers and the crew of these river vessels, if the vessel is in a catastrophically terrible condition, then there is a high probability of a sad outcome of the voyage. Well, river police officers “in absentia" save the lives of hundreds and thousands of people. It is worth saying that river law enforcement agencies are also involved in preventing various types of crimes, such as economic, administrative and criminal offenses.
The fight against trafficking in narcotic and psychotropic drugs, the fight against smuggling (on border rivers), the fight against arms trafficking. The work of a river policeman is quite difficult and dangerous work. In addition to directly performing dangerous work, river police are also involved in checking documents for cargo transported along the river, checking fishing permits, monitoring the condition of ports, coastlines, marinas, are engaged in alerting and warning residents. The work of a river policeman is not worth it, not the highest paid, and not the most prestigious job. All the “laurels” go to representatives of the land police, who also perform similar work, but on land, however, river police officers also have the right to honor and respect.
How to congratulate?
On a professional holiday, river police officers should be congratulated on this day, and representatives of this complex and dangerous profession should be awarded the most important things: attention, honor, respect. You can also give memorable souvenirs and gifts, such as:
1. Memorable awards.
2. Dummy “combat ship”.
3. Postcards and valuable gifts (for example, gift watches, or gift weapons).
4. Attributes of a river policeman: flashing lights, loudspeaker.
5. Dummy combat uniform.
6. Souvenir general's shoulder straps and a souvenir general's ID (something like “general of the river police” or “general of all Rus'”).
All of the above souvenirs will leave a good memory of the time spent holiday, will allow the employees of this structural unit to feel like a representative of a necessary and undoubtedly important profession.
Summarizing the above, I would like to say that the river water police have always played an important role in ensuring order in the river areas of our vast Motherland. Courageous, brave and honest police officers provide ordinary citizens with carefree leisure and recreation on the rivers, and allow them to avoid difficult and dangerous situations on the waters of the Russian Federation.
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The river police make up a significant part of the water police. This structure began to be called “police” relatively recently - only 5 years ago, when the law “On the Police” came into force on the territory of the Russian Federation.
River police officers monitor water spaces, prevent fires on water, water bodies, poaching, as well as other violations of order on the river. The river police unit works closely with the departments for combating drug trafficking, weapons, and the economic crimes department.
Story
The history of the existence of this unit dates back to the end of the 19th century. The decree on the organization of the river patrol was signed by the royal hand. The first date of establishment of the river police is June 1987. At that time, the river police existed in the form of a special unit, whose duties were to restore order in the water spaces of St. Petersburg and surrounding regions, namely:
- Inspection of river vessels.
- Inspection of ships.
- Control of order on the piers.
- Prevention of poaching and theft.
- Order on the beaches (bathing areas).
- Reliability of strengthening river banks.
The river branch soon appeared in other cities of Russia. These units were disbanded after the October Revolution. But already in 1918, the river militia was again established, this time by the Council of People's Commissars by its decree of June 25, 1918. This date is generally considered to be the date of the creation of the river police.
Traditions
The difficult and often dangerous work of river policemen as in tsarist times, in the USSR, was and remains in high esteem. The professional holiday River Police Day is another wonderful occasion to honor their difficult, but important work.
On this day, water policemen gather at banquet tables with their brothers in the profession, recall vivid stories from their professional lives, and accept congratulations from their superiors and higher authorities. Some of them are awarded medals, certificates of commendation, cash bonuses, promotions in rank and position. Sometimes meetings or round tables are organized in educational institutions, where experienced water police officers talk about their profession. On this day, congratulations are heard from radios and televisions.
The honor and courage of these extraordinary people are set as an example for the younger generation.
In Russia, river police workers celebrate their professional holiday. Until 2011, it was called “River Police Day,” but after the development of a new bill “On the Police,” the name of the holiday also changed. For the first time, the structure of law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation acquired such a department as the river police in the 19th century. In the summer of 1867, the Tsar signed a decree establishing it. It became part of the external police as a special organization to control order in the water area of St. Petersburg. Representatives of the river police traveled around the waters of the capital, monitoring water transport and other objects. The main responsibilities of law enforcement officers of that time included:
Monitoring vagrancy and robbery on the water;
- rescue of drowning people and ships that were wrecked;
- monitoring compliance with travel conditions river ice, security;
- supervision over the quality of maintenance of vehicles used during floods.
The river police also monitored the level of cleanliness on the water and passenger vessels.
Subsequently, these units began to be formed in other regions of the country.
After the revolution that happened in 1917, the activities of the river police, like the main part of Russian law enforcement agencies, were suspended. However, less than a year later, a law was created on the creation of the river police.” Now this day is the official holiday of this unit. Subsequently, river police departments began to appear in all settlements of the country where navigable bodies of water existed. At first formed on a territorial principle, later divisions began to be created according to river basins, which made it possible to increase the efficiency of work.
Currently, river police bodies exist in virtually all cities of the country located on the water. Police officers patrol river and sea spaces on special boats equipped with the necessary equipment for work, including: lifebuoys and vests, devices for studying the bottom topography and other devices. The main task, as before, is to control public order in water transport not only on everyday days, but especially during the celebration of an event or the organization of a certain event. The responsibilities of modern police also include preventing illegal mining activities natural resources in coastal areas, illegal economic activities.
The work of the employees of this department is not to be envied. It is much more specific compared to the activities of ordinary police officers. Water is fraught with a large number of different dangers, and potential criminals are incredibly cunning and unpredictable. To work effectively, department representatives need to have a set of specific qualities. This includes good endurance, determination, emotional stability, etc. All this is especially true in extreme cases, which quite often occur on the water.
On their holiday, river police officers accept congratulations from relatives, friends, colleagues and superiors. The most distinguished ones are awarded with certificates and prizes.
July 25 marks exactly 100 years since the formation of the river police in our country.
It was on this day in 1918 that the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On the Establishment of the River Police” was issued. Initially, its departments were organized in provincial cities and districts, on the territory of which navigable rivers flowed, but later, in order to increase the efficiency of their work, the river police began to be organized by river basins. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the need arose for a centralized water police, which was created on June 27, 1942 by a joint order of the NKVD and the People's Commissariat River fleet THE USSR. In May 1943, the water department of the Workers' and Peasants' Militia became part of the newly formed Transport Police Department, and since 1980 - part of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs for Transport of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2011, the federal law “On Police” came into force. Today, water police units are subordinate to the transport departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for federal districts, as well as interregional line departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for transport. In Komsomolsk-on-Amur there is also a linear department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for transport, which includes such a unit as the Komsomolsk Linear Police Point (LPP) on the river and air transport. On the eve of the professional holiday of water police officers - River Police Day, we asked several questions to the acting head of the Komsomolsk linear police station for river and air transport, senior police lieutenant Maxim Pozdnyakov.
- Maxim Aleksandrovich, how many line department employees work at river transport facilities?
- The staff of our division - LPP on river and air transport - currently includes 7 people. They work directly in the waters of the Amur River and at river transport facilities.
- How are your material resources?
- We are fully provided with the material resources. We have service watercraft - three boats with modern equipment, modern engines, which are in no way inferior to civilian vessels. There are also all the necessary special equipment and devices.
- What do you do on raids and what is the very principle of service?
- We patrol the waters of the Amur River in order to identify and suppress poaching and illegal trafficking of aquatic biological resources, in particular sturgeon and salmon species. We also have administrative prevention to suppress violations of navigation rules, including for small vessels, for example, driving a small vessel while intoxicated, non-compliance with established procedures and requirements for operating small vessels, lack of a driver’s license to operate a small vessel, administrative practice.
- Doesn’t this duplicate the work of the inspectorate for small vessels?
- According to a number of articles of administrative legislation, our unit is also assigned certain responsibilities, and we are authorized to draw up administrative protocols.
- What violations are most often detected?
- Illegal fishing and extraction of aquatic biological resources, in particular sturgeon and salmon species.
- How often do you detect violations and what is your duty schedule?
“We don’t go out every day, and there is no such specific, clear schedule when it is established that we should join the service and be there. We go out sometimes when necessary. Or when you need to patrol the waters of the Amur River on a warm summer day. Sometimes we carry out operational search activities. There are “Putin” operations. Usually the detection rate depends on the seasons, say, during the spring period there are approximately ten detections. In the spring they catch sturgeon, in the summer some species of fish, in the fall - chum salmon and late sturgeon.
- How many people are on patrol?
- 3-4 people in one boat.
- Does it happen that you have to arrange chases, shootouts, do any problems arise?
- There are chases, but there are no shootouts. I don't see any problems at all. Let's do our job.
- Interesting cases Can you tell me from practice?
- We somehow climbed from below, from the direction of Nikolaevsk. Approaching closer to the city, the captain of our boat noticed that the head of a wild animal was sticking out of the water to the side. As we got closer to this area, we saw that it was an approximately six-month-old elk calf that was trying to cross to the other side of the Amur. He could barely swim, and it was clear that he was almost exhausted. We decided to save the animal. We pulled him out of the water onto our boat, after 40 minutes he came to his senses, and we transported him to the other side of the Amur and released him into the wild. It also happens that we have to resuscitate fish when we identify the fact of illegal trafficking of sturgeon species. Our sturgeon, for example, is long-lived and even without air can lie overnight somewhere in the grass. And when you release him into the water, he is in such a half-asleep or fainting state, and you have to ventilate the gill openings, that is, revive the fish in the water with circular movements or run water back and forth over the gills so that the fish comes to its senses. This happens regularly. We also take out fish from nets abandoned by poachers, disentangle them, also revive them and release them.
- Do you interact with other organs and how?
- Yes, without fail. We also have a lot of joint orders. We work together with GIMS, and with the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and the Komsomolsky district, and also with other law enforcement units and departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Very often, upon appropriate requests, we provide law and order and support for various city events in the waters of the Amur River. Without our participation, no event on the Amur, ceremonial, entertainment or sports, takes place.
- Thank you for the interview and congratulations on your professional holiday!
D. Yu. Nikolaev, newspaper “Far Eastern Komsomolsk” and website “DVK-Media”
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