The bloated apparatus of the security forces can really be reduced: opinion. “Itching for reform”: experts criticize the idea of merging law enforcement agencies Reduction of security forces
On the reduction in the number of employees of the FSB Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, an instruction about which was received from the Director of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov. According to the latest data, Russian law enforcement agencies have been asked to significantly reduce costs or fire up to 10 percent of employees as part of the formation of a new reduced budget. The Ministry of Finance is cutting off funding not only for the FSB, but also for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the media reported this a month ago), the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Investigative Committee, and the Federal Drug Control Service.
According to media reports, reductions in the FSB will primarily affect civilian employees of financial planning and economic departments. In addition, until the end of 2015, the intelligence service refuses to hire new employees to replace retiring operatives. An exception is made mainly for graduates of specialized universities. It is still unknown how exactly the Ministry of Internal Affairs will reduce its expenses. According to the department, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “decided to create a reserve of unoccupied wages, which can be cut first and the absence of which will not affect the protection of order. In the second place, employees who have reached retirement age may be subject to dismissal.” Earlier, the media reported about impending salary cuts for security forces. In particular, one of the FSO (Federal Security Service) employees spoke about this on condition of anonymity, expecting his salary to decrease from 70 to 50 thousand rubles per month.
Chairman of the Coordination Council of the Moscow Police Trade Union Mikhail Pashkin hopes that the cuts will not affect ordinary employees, who, as practice shows, can be difficult to find new job:
– When people are laid off, it’s always bad. But if you do it correctly, it will be fine. It is necessary to reduce the administrative apparatus, but no one wants this. But apparently it will have to. In the patrol service, for example, all officers were removed, although these were the most qualified people with higher education.
– Is it difficult for a former police officer to get another job?
Employers do not like police officers and all law enforcement officers, because they have spoiled a lot of blood for them
– Men can still find work in security companies, in security services, but this is only if they are officers, operational workers. And it’s quite difficult to find a job, especially for women. Employers do not like not only police officers, but all law enforcement officers in general, because they have spoiled a lot of blood for them, and this is already perceived genetically.
The director of the Public Verdict foundation (which also fights against police brutality) does not yet see
a clear scheme according to which the security forces will be cut:
The staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is bloated, there are many questions about work efficiency
– The reduction in the Ministry of Internal Affairs itself would be a good measure. Our department’s personnel are overstaffed compared to other countries, and there are still many questions about the effectiveness of its work. But it is not yet clear who the 10 percent who will cut are. And I definitely wouldn’t want the reduction to affect people who work “on the ground.” It will be even more difficult for them to fulfill their duties, and the crime situation may worsen.
Director of the regional program of the Independent Institute social policy(NISP) believes that Russian security forces will remain “afloat” even in a crisis:
– Of course, all these cuts are associated with a terrible budget deficit, which is bursting at the seams. But I don't think this will lead to any negative consequences in security forces Oh. Firstly, they will lay off those who can, and secondly, there are also vacancies. They'll get smart. "Live" will be shortened a little. Remember how government agencies were cut? Created
"Live" will be shortened a little. The Russian bureaucracy is cunning
additional non-state actors. The Russian bureaucracy is cunning when it comes to inventions. Well, they announced the reduction because they will soon have to announce a massive layoff of teachers and doctors, and this is much more dangerous.
Previously, due to the crisis, the authorities proposed to reduce two law enforcement agencies at once - the Federal Service for Drug Control (FSKN) and the Federal Migration Service, and transfer their functions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The head of the Federal Drug Control Service, Viktor Ivanov, sent a letter to the presidential administration, in which he indicated that the liquidation of the service would lead to negative consequences and a deterioration in the “operational situation” in the country as a whole. They decided not to disband the department, only reducing the number of employees by 5 thousand people.
Nina Moser - expert at the Center for Scientific Political Thought and Ideology
The state is cutting billions of dollars in spending, saving the deficit budget. 10% of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 15% of the Federal Drug Control Service are subject to layoffs. The Ministry of Emergency Situations also plans to optimize personnel. The reform will affect more than 140 thousand professionals. Where will they go, and who will take the vacant places in banks, museums, at the border and “on the ground”? Really, private security company?
Already in November of many government agencies private security officers will leave. A number of people have already received the first notices of the upcoming reduction federal structures. The response was immediate. Central Bank stated that if the police are “removed” from security, then the country’s gold and foreign exchange reserves will remain unattended, Federal Water Resources Agency fears sabotage and attacks on the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Southern Federal District, as well as unpleasant incidents at hydraulic structures. Ministry of Culture fears that priceless works of art will have to be protected by private security guards - people with different life story. In particular, the head of the department, Vladimir Medinsky, noted that through his Ministry, the involvement of private security companies in the protection will lead to “ uncontrolled expansion of the circle of individuals and organizations with detailed knowledge of the museum security system" These organizations told the Ministry of Internal Affairs about their concerns, hoping that they would be given a reprieve.
In accordance with the July decree of the Russian President, 110 thousand police officers should be cut, including 43 thousand private security officers. The number of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be reduced by 10%: from 1.113 million people to 1.003 million. The reason is a decrease in funding from the state. The lion's share of government spending (almost 80%) falls on wages, pensions, benefits and compensation. The massive reduction of positions will save about 90 billion rubles. At the same time, costs will continue to decrease. According to the head of the department, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, the number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs may decrease by 300 thousand people by 2018.
At the same time, large-scale reductions are also taking place in other law enforcement agencies. They must meet the deadline - until 2017. The number of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) is being reduced from 34 thousand to 29.5 thousand people. This will save the state as much as 5 billion rubles, and the staff of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) is expected to be reduced from 40 thousand to 8 thousand people. In the near future, the FMS will lose 2.5 thousand employees. In addition, the Ministry of Emergency Situations intends to reduce costs by 10%. At the same time, the department has already reduced its staff by 2%, which is about 3 thousand employees.
IN general outline The situation is this: virtually every tenth law enforcement officer is being laid off. First of all, it is planned to reduce department employees from the regional level and above, as well as the staff of private security units. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of units at the district level will remain unchanged. Will this be the case? Last year, there were already reductions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the motto of “squeezing” the administrative apparatus. However, in the ranks of the reduced 11 thousand employees, there were no high managers with shoulder straps in large numbers. Those who suffered were those who worked “on the ground” - with citizens, especially in rural areas. Police officers also have their doubts. " I haven’t believed in the promises of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a long time, notes the head of the police union, Mikhail Pashkin. - That time they said exactly the same thing. It ended up cutting off the lower classes. The top ranks were reduced a little, and then they filled the positions “on the ground.” The number of private security guards is 45 thousand people. Where will they go? The same goes for the rest who will be laid off. We are told that there is a 6% shortage in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it is these positions that will be cut. But have you seen at least one vacant position as a boss or HR officer? The bulk of the shortage is “on the ground.” But they tell us that “land” will not be reduced. This means they will lay off existing employees.».
Let us recall the results of the previous large-scale reduction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was carried out during the reform of 2009–2011. (by the way, when the Ministry of Emergency Situations was previously reduced, forests began to burn more often and brighter throughout the country). Then the staff of the police, which was renamed the police, decreased by about 22%. Before the reform, the number of employees of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs was about 1.4 million people. The central apparatus by this time had been inflated from 3,766 people (1997) to 19,970 people, and as a result of the reform it was reduced by more than half. But personnel optimization was carried out among the detectives who worked “on the ground.” This led to the fact that the Russian outback was left without local police officers and traffic police officers. After those cuts, crime increased. Where do fired police officers go?
Finding a job for former police officers will not be easy. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposes to employ its former employees through the efforts of regional authorities, as well as Federal service on labor and employment, trade unions and others public organizations. But who needs additional stress when everyone dumps ballast during a crisis? Will not the one that is familiar to them grow, but the second one, i.e. the opposite half of the crime-fighting front?
According to NG, in a number of Russian ministries and departments are seriously concerned about the news of cuts in staff and funding by 10-30%. Panic is brewing in the regions due to plans to save money on the state apparatus. So far, officials are inclined to blame the United States and Western sanctions for their troubles, but if real layoffs do begin, experts say, their loyalty to the Kremlin will decrease, and the current political and social stability may be under attack.
Rumors are actively circulating among civil servants in the regions about cutting staff not by 10–20%, but by as much as 30%. Because of the crisis, budget expenditures have to be cut almost everywhere by approximately the same amount. One of the cost-saving measures is to fire employees.
According to NG, some Russian state departments and regional governments have announced plans to cut up to 30% of officials, as well as a guaranteed reduction in their bonuses, which make up a significant part of their salaries. “It turns out that if previously the salary of a mid-ranking regional official was 100 thousand rubles. and higher, now it will drop to an average of 65 thousand rubles,” explained NG sources in the government of one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. “No one openly expresses dissatisfaction with their superiors, but behind the scenes that’s all they talk about.” Colleagues complain that they won’t be able to support their families with this money, and quietly discuss who will be first in line to be fired.”
It is worth noting that information about reductions in law enforcement agencies has already been confirmed at the official level. On Tuesday, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), Viktor Ivanov, called for “not to mess things up” during the reform of his agency. NG's source in the Federal Drug Control Service said that employees are talking about disbandment as a fait accompli and are preparing to either move to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or quit. Yesterday, the St. Petersburg media received a directive from the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bortnikov, who sent instructions to all regional departments, including St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, to reduce the staff of his service. Employee reductions will affect everyone to one degree or another. law enforcement agencies Northern capital, including the police, was confirmed yesterday by Deputy Prosecutor of St. Petersburg Igor Rezonov.
A wave of fears about a difficult life has reached civil servants in Siberia. In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the reason for this was the order to reduce costs for the functioning of government bodies by 20%. And last week, according to local online publications, the district administration and structures close to it discussed an initiative according to which the number of employees of regional and municipal authorities would allegedly be reduced by at least 15%.
In management domestic policy one of the Siberian regions of NG confirmed the fact of salary cuts. “They are also cutting maintenance costs and the budget for current activities by about 15%,” the source said. “Specialists, as such, are not being fired yet.”
Moreover, officials mainly blame sanctions and US President Barack Obama for the upcoming cuts. That is, they have not yet drawn parallels between the reunification of Russia with Crimea and the deterioration of their existence, NG sources claim.
According to the head of the Political Expert Group, Konstantin Kalachev, if officials fail to find normal employment, and in commercial structures they will most likely be told “goodbye,” then ex-civil servants will become a ticking time bomb in terms of electoral behavior. “Will they become participants in opposition marches? I doubt. But in elections they can behave in ways that are unpredictable for the authorities,” the expert believes.
According to the deputy director of the Levada Center, Alexei Grazhdankin, officials can go into opposition only if the authorities give up: “Despite all the dissatisfaction with the situation, these people will not bite the hand that feeds them. They will expect that for their long and faithful service they will be compensated for their problems in one form or another: either they will be helped in finding a job, or after some time they will be returned to the power structures.”
Interest in the situation is heightened by the fact that the entire current vertical of power is built on the loyalty of apparatuses and security forces. First Vice-President of the Center for Political Technologies Alexei Makarkin drew a parallel with the end of the 80s: in 1987, people hoped for normalization of the situation in the country, and in 1989 mass rallies began. “The processes may now be of a similar nature; everything will depend on whether the state can stabilize the situation,” the expert is sure. “Now they will fire pensioners, they will try to reduce vacancies, and the dismissed official will try to get a job somewhere. If the situation cannot be stabilized, unpleasant times may come for the authorities in terms of the reaction of officials and public sector employees.”
The reduction of law enforcement agencies will lead to the fact that all bureaucratic responsibilities will be transferred to the remaining employees. Increased detection will occur due to the expansion of illegal practices.
Fewer investigators, more managers
Falling government revenues make layoffs in law enforcement agencies inevitable. The departments themselves, naturally, oppose it, frightening taxpayers with the consequences in the form of rampant crime and a decrease in the level of security. In fact, the situation can be reversed if the reduction is carried out thoughtfully.
About 80% of the costs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are expenses for salaries and other maintenance of employees, so there are almost no other ways to reduce costs other than laying off people. In the event of a budget sequestration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will cut employees not only in the central office in Moscow, as announced last week, but also in the regions. The presidential decree of September 12, 2015 established the staffing level of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at 1,003,232 people, of which 835,844 were police officers, including police officers. Thus, the number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was reduced for the first time since the transformation of the militia into the police. Then, in 2009, after a reduction of 20%, the number of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a whole amounted to 1,106,472 people, and the Department of Internal Affairs - 907,630.
The 2009 reform was a gift for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Law “On Police” expanded the powers of employees, salaries and the total budget of the ministry almost doubled, and non-prestigious, often vacant positions“on the ground” (precinct, duty units, operational services). At the same time, management structures, departments for combating economic crimes (OBEPs) and other prestigious services remained untouched. As a result, the bias towards the managerial superstructure, which had already grown during times of high hydrocarbon rent, intensified even more. According to our estimates, the share of Ministry of Internal Affairs employees directly involved in law enforcement activities (keeping order on the streets, solving crimes or working with the population) is no more than 60–70%. The rest are involved in management, analysis, control, proper registration, paperwork, planning, coordination, etc. If in 2009 the ratio of managers and investigators in the Investigative Committee was 50x50, by 2014, according to employees of the Academy of the Investigative Committee, the proportion of investigators decreased to 41%.
Control limits
The security forces are perhaps the most bureaucratically regulated in the country. The increase in the number of reporting procedures was once intended to solve the problem of shadow activity and make the work of primary units measurable and controllable for management. The crisis of confidence in public sector employees - be it a local police inspector, a doctor or a teacher - has given rise to the phenomenon of total reporting. Every completed or unfulfilled action must now be accompanied by the preparation of relevant papers. The share of useful work directly related to core activities - maintaining order, working with the population, solving and investigating crimes - began to take up less than half of the working time.
The functions of the central apparatus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs mainly include monitoring the work of regional departments. Those who criticize the reduction fear that the Ministry of Internal Affairs simply does not have enough hands to process the entire volume of information that comes from the regions. But in the 21st century the Ministry of Internal Affairs should not use human resources, to process information about field work. The practice of daily filling out various reports (on the results of work, the increase in crime, the implementation of measures to strengthen the next area of work) in each district, which are further summarized at the level of regional headquarters, and then at the level of the central office - a clear anachronism. The solution may be to create a single automated system input of information, distribution of access levels and the availability of automated algorithms for analyzing information about the work of the police and other law enforcement agencies by management levels. Now the only effectively established mechanism for exchanging information is the creation of papers confirming that the police officer has done the work, and sending reports and responses to requests to the top.
Even more paperwork
The problem is that, although the Ministry of Internal Affairs declares a reduction in the administrative apparatus, the management and control system, focused on paperwork and quantitative reporting, remains unchanged. A situation where, for example, the head of a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in a district is responsible for the misconduct of a district police officer, although between him and the district police officer there are at least three other chiefs and one supervisory unit, will still stimulate three compatible behavior scenarios. The boss will strive to achieve performance indicators “no worse than others,” demand that his subordinates constantly draw up documents (it’s easier to find fault with the lack of documents than the lack of results) and hide any problems until the very end.
Reducing control structures will not lead to improvements and will have the opposite effect, since all bureaucratic responsibilities will be transferred to the remaining employees. And instead of an inspector at headquarters, an investigator will write certificates about the work of the unit. Moreover, the requirement to increase detection will occur due to the expansion of illegal practices of obtaining confessions: it is faster, and in conditions of shortage of working time and the need for results, it is almost inevitable. In addition, the crisis significantly reduces the chances of finding another job, and the stability of police salaries is even higher than that of other civil servants. This means that tolerance for illegal practices will only increase.
How to shorten?
It is necessary to reduce costs in law enforcement agencies by increasing the autonomy of lower-level units, informatizing the process and increasing trust in employees “on the ground.” But this requires a change in the entire ideology of control: from centralized (through the levels of the hierarchy within the department) to horizontal - the ability of society, the population in municipalities to set work priorities and respond to police violations through effective public control and judicial protection.
We can identify four areas in which reducing the Ministry of Internal Affairs would actually become effective, including from the point of view of budget savings. Firstly, this is the optimization of management levels - for example, transferring the task of ensuring public order to the level of subjects of the Federation or cities and districts. Thus, the unnecessary function is removed first, and then the people. Secondly, debureaucratization: a radical reduction in the requirements for drawing up documents confirming the work process - the freed up time can be used to increase the efficiency of the police. Thirdly, informatization: when initial, non-aggregated information analyzed at the federal level can be used to assess the work of departments and understand crime risks in different areas (this will reduce the number of analytical departments at the local level). An example of such an analysis can be seen on the drug crime map.
And finally, replacing some of the internal control mechanisms with external tools public control- an effective system of appeal through the judicial system, obtaining information about problems through the media. Yes, it will take all this structural transformation Ministry of Internal Affairs, but otherwise the horror stories about an increase in crime and a decrease in security will come true. However, without reforms they will be justified, even if the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not reduced now.
The reduction of law enforcement agencies will lead to the fact that all bureaucratic responsibilities will be transferred to the remaining employees. Increased detection will occur due to the expansion of illegal practices.
Fewer investigators, more managers
Falling government revenues make layoffs in law enforcement agencies inevitable. The departments themselves, naturally, oppose it, frightening taxpayers with the consequences in the form of rampant crime and a decrease in the level of security. In fact, the situation can be reversed if the reduction is carried out thoughtfully.
About 80% of the costs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are expenses for salaries and other maintenance of employees, so there are almost no other ways to reduce costs other than laying off people. In the event of a budget sequestration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will cut employees not only in the central office in Moscow, as announced last week, but also in the regions. The presidential decree of September 12, 2015 established the staffing level of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at 1,003,232 people, of which 835,844 were police officers, including police officers. Thus, the number of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was reduced for the first time since the transformation of the militia into the police. Then, in 2009, after a reduction of 20%, the number of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a whole amounted to 1,106,472 people, and the Department of Internal Affairs - 907,630.
The 2009 reform was a gift for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Law “On the Police” expanded the powers of employees, salaries and the total budget of the ministry almost doubled, and non-prestigious, often vacant positions “on the ground” (precinct, duty units, operational services) were cut. At the same time, management structures, departments for combating economic crimes (OBEPs) and other prestigious services remained untouched. As a result, the bias towards the managerial superstructure, which had already grown during times of high hydrocarbon rent, intensified even more. According to our estimates, the share of Ministry of Internal Affairs employees directly involved in law enforcement activities (keeping order on the streets, solving crimes or working with the population) is no more than 60-70%. The rest are involved in management, analysis, control, proper registration, paperwork, planning, coordination, etc. If in 2009 the ratio of managers and investigators in the Investigative Committee was 50x50, by 2014, according to employees of the Academy of the Investigative Committee, the proportion of investigators decreased to 41%.
Control limits
The security forces are perhaps the most bureaucratically regulated in the country. The increase in the number of reporting procedures was once intended to solve the problem of shadow activity and make the work of primary units measurable and controllable for management. The crisis of confidence in public sector employees - be it a local police inspector, a doctor or a teacher - has given rise to the phenomenon of total reporting. Every completed or unfulfilled action must now be accompanied by the preparation of relevant papers. The share of useful work directly related to core activities - maintaining order, working with the public, solving and investigating crimes - began to take up less than half of the working time.
The functions of the central apparatus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs mainly include monitoring the work of regional departments. Those who criticize the reduction fear that the Ministry of Internal Affairs simply does not have enough hands to process the entire volume of information that comes from the regions. But in the 21st century, the Ministry of Internal Affairs should not use human resources to process information about work in the field. The practice of daily filling out various reports (on the results of work, the growth of crime, carrying out measures to strengthen the next area of work) in each district, which are further compiled at the level of regional headquarters, and then at the level of the central office - a clear anachronism. A solution could be the creation of a unified automated information input system, the distribution of access levels and the availability of automated algorithms for analyzing information about the work of the police and other law enforcement agencies at management levels. Now the only effectively established mechanism for exchanging information is the creation of papers confirming that the police officer has done the work, and sending reports and responses to requests to the top.
Even more paperwork
The problem is that, although the Ministry of Internal Affairs declares a reduction in the administrative apparatus, the management and control system, focused on paperwork and quantitative reporting, remains unchanged. A situation where, for example, the head of a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in a district is responsible for the misconduct of a district police officer, although between him and the district police officer there are at least three other chiefs and one supervisory unit, will still stimulate three compatible behavior scenarios. The boss will strive to achieve performance indicators “no worse than others,” demand that his subordinates constantly draw up documents (it’s easier to find fault with the lack of documents than the lack of results) and hide any problems until the very end.
Reducing control structures will not lead to improvements and will have the opposite effect, since all bureaucratic responsibilities will be transferred to the remaining employees. And instead of an inspector at headquarters, an investigator will write certificates about the work of the unit. Moreover, the requirement to increase detection will occur due to the expansion of illegal practices of obtaining confessions: it is faster, and in conditions of shortage of working time and the need for results, it is almost inevitable. In addition, the crisis significantly reduces the chances of finding another job, and the stability of police salaries is even higher than that of other civil servants. This means that tolerance for illegal practices will only increase.
How to shorten?
It is necessary to reduce costs in law enforcement agencies by increasing the autonomy of lower-level units, informatizing the process and increasing trust in employees “on the ground.” But this requires a change in the entire ideology of control: from centralized (through the levels of the hierarchy within the department) to horizontal - the ability of society, the population in municipalities to set work priorities and respond to police violations through effective public control and judicial protection.
We can identify four areas in which reducing the Ministry of Internal Affairs would actually become effective, including from the point of view of budget savings. Firstly, this is the optimization of management levels - for example, transferring the task of ensuring public order to the level of federal subjects or cities and districts. Thus, the unnecessary function is removed first, and then the people. Secondly, debureaucratization: a radical reduction in the requirements for drawing up documents confirming the work process - the freed up time can be used to increase the efficiency of police work. Thirdly, informatization: when initial, non-aggregated information analyzed at the federal level can be used to assess the work of departments and understand crime risks in different areas (this will reduce the number of analytical departments at the local level). An example of such an analysis can be seen on the drug crime map.
And finally, replacing some of the internal control mechanisms with external tools of public control - an effective system of appeal through the judicial system, obtaining information about problems through the media. Yes, all this will require a structural transformation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but otherwise the horror stories about an increase in crime and a decrease in security will come true. However, without reforms they will be justified, even if the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not reduced now.
