About 300 residents of the Vitebsk region have stopped crimes with courageous actions over five years
About 300 residents of the Vitebsk region have prevented crimes from being committed through their courageous actions over five years, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Department told a BELTA correspondent.
"All of them fulfilled their civic duty, did not ignore the crimes being committed, and came to the aid of complete strangers in a difficult moment," the Internal Affairs Department emphasized.
The courage of such people does not go unnoticed: for the fifth year in a row, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Department, together with the city newspaper "Vitbichi" and the TV company "Skif," holds the annual "Civic Courage" event, which was launched on February 23, 2009. The newspaper and television tell stories about indifferent people ready to help citizens in distress at any moment. For example, over the past year, about 50 residents of the region have assisted law enforcement agencies in solving criminal offenses. All of them were recognized by the leadership of the internal affairs bodies. Their managers and colleagues learned about the heroism of these people.
Four people were recognized as winners of the "Civic Courage" event for the results of 2012. In the nomination "For Courage and Decisiveness," Nikolai Savchenko, a resident of Novopolotsk who personally detained a store robber, won. During the detention, the criminal resisted and caused him bodily harm. While the struggle was ongoing, the store employees called the police, and the criminal was apprehended.
In the nomination "For Indifference," Vitebsk residents Tatyana and Lyubov Bogdanova were recognized for showing courage, bravery, and decisiveness in detaining drunk individuals who had beaten a man. While in a cafeteria, they witnessed two drunk individuals intentionally beat a man and seize his property. Not remaining indifferent to human suffering, the two frail women were not afraid to stand up for the victim and detained the hooligans.
Igor Makhon, a student at Vitebsk State Vocational Lyceum No. 1, honorably fulfilled his civic duty, becoming the winner in the "Brave Heart" nomination. Late in the evening, while walking along one of the streets of the regional center, the young man heard cries for help. Without hesitation, he rushed to help. Approaching closer, Igor saw a perpetrator attempting to rape a girl. Noticing the approaching stranger, the assailant got scared and hurried to flee the crime scene. After reporting to the police, the lyceum student pursued the criminal until his apprehension. As it was later discovered, the apprehended individual had already been convicted of a similar offense five years prior.
For their active civic stance, the participants of the campaign were awarded diplomas and valuable gifts at a formal event held at the Internal Affairs Department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. A celebratory concert featuring creative groups from Vitebsk, as well as employees of the internal affairs bodies, was held in honor of the winners.
The majority of residents in the Vitebsk region are capable of courageous actions, as emphasized by the Internal Affairs Department. According to a conducted survey, almost two-thirds of the region's residents are ready to assist law enforcement agencies in combating crime. On average across the region, this figure was 67.9%. The residents of Ushachi, Polotsk, Glubokoye, and Dubrovno districts showed the greatest activity in cooperating with law enforcement officers.
The willingness of citizens to assist the police in combating crime also indicates the public's trust in law enforcement agencies. A survey of public opinion on the work of city and district internal affairs departments in the Vitebsk region in 2012 showed that citizens generally positively assess the measures taken by law enforcement agencies to maintain public order. Almost 53% of respondents who applied to internal affairs agencies are satisfied with the decisions made on their applications, as well as the timeliness and completeness of the investigations conducted. The best indicators were in Lepel, Polotsk, Beshenkovichi, and Senno districts. One-third of those surveyed positively assessed the effectiveness of measures taken in the region to counter the spread of alcoholism and moonshining.