The role of the Ukrainian SSR militia in combating crime in the late 1960s.

Abstract

In 1967–1968, the level of crime in the republic continued to be quite high, but the militia’s response to it was strengthened and improved. The fight against hooliganism remained a topical issue. At this time, there were cases of brazen attacks by criminals on militia patrols. The Ministry of Public Order Protection of the Ukrainian SSR systematised data on these cases, which revealed that in a number of places, there was no reliable security for the premises where militia bodies and units were located. In the 1960s, economic crime in the republic became widespread. It was associated with the theft of state and cooperative property, speculation, bribery, and illegal currency transactions. The danger of crimes committed in the sphere of economic activity was that they were usually associated with the creation of criminal groups, sometimes large and extensive. This method of committing embezzlement and bribery provided a good disguise for the crimes. At the same time, many of the perpetrators of crimes in this area were identified and brought to justice through the activities of the militia. However, the use of intelligence, operational records, forensic capabilities, and the activities of district commissioners, other militia services and the public were not yet sufficiently effective. In these years, a common shortcoming in militia activities was the lack of official warning of offenders. The transition of the working population in cities to two-day work made militia work somewhat more difficult and increased its volume, but not all militia bodies were able to quickly adapt to fighting crime in these conditions. Some heads of public order departments neglected the work of the criminal investigation department, failed to respond to shortcomings in a timely and sharp manner, and superficially managed the work of police agencies in combating criminal activity.