Editor's Introduction

This double issue of Statutes and Decisions consists of translations of official documents, media reports, speeches by Minister Nurgaliyev, and interviews with local police chiefs, and analyses of public opinion surveys about the police force made by private public opinion agencies (Baltic Media Group and Levada Center). It covers the analyses and discussions about police reform in Russia in spring 2012, the final days in office of both President Dmitry Medvedev and Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev. These days have been full of scandals involving police crimes, including the torture of a detainee in the Dal'nii police station in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. These scandals as well as continuing police brutality¹ in the context of the 2012 presidential elections triggered more criticism of policing and police reform as well as damage control efforts on the parts of police chiefs. The items in this issue of Statutes and Decisions can be roughly divided into three parts: views of the police reform held by the police establishment, human rights activists, and local officials.