Almost two-thirds of Vitebsk region residents are ready to assist the police in combating crime

Almost two-thirds of the residents of the Vitebsk region are ready to assist law enforcement agencies in combating crime, according to the official website of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, reports a BELTA correspondent.

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.

Commenting on the survey data to a BELTA correspondent, the information and public relations department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee noted that the number of citizens assisting the police is growing year by year. In 2012, more than 50 crimes were solved with the help of the public through the criminal investigation department alone. All these individuals have been recognized by the leadership of the Internal Affairs Directorate.

Since 2009, the directorate has annually held the "Civil Courage" event and awarded valuable gifts to people who were not afraid to confront criminals and provided significant assistance to the police in the search and apprehension of offenders. This is a joint project of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and local media, involving work collectives, and students of educational institutions. The event has a high public resonance, is widely covered in the media, and, according to the Internal Affairs Directorate, has great educational significance.

The readiness of citizens to assist the police in combating crime also testifies to the public's trust in law enforcement agencies, the Internal Affairs Directorate is convinced. According to the results of a study of public opinion on the work of city and district internal affairs departments in the Vitebsk region in 2012, citizens generally positively assess the measures taken by law enforcement agencies to maintain public order. Almost 53% of respondents who applied to law enforcement agencies are satisfied with the decisions made on their applications, as well as the timeliness and completeness of the investigations conducted. The best indicators are in Lepel, Polotsk, Beshenkovichi, and Senno districts. One-third of those surveyed positively assessed the effectiveness of measures taken in the region to combat the spread of alcoholism and moonshining.