On minimization of duties extrinsic to the police activities in the Russian Empire

Abstract

Purpose: to describe duties extrinsic to the police of Tsarist Russia and indicate bodies with the appropriate competence. The subject of the study is the subsection “Burdening of police officials with extraneous duties” of the “Brief explanatory note to the conclusion of the interdepartmental Commission, under the leadership of Senator A.A. Makarov, on the police transformation in the Empire” (1911). The police reorganization idea was the theoretical and legal basis of the modernization program of Russia proposed by P.A. Stolypin. Being Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Internal Affairs (1906–1911), he formed a Commission consisting of 19 highly professional officials holding various senior positions in the Russian state and able to single out legislative norms regulating activities of the police to one degree or another from various branches of law. The need to reform the police, focused on strengthening a solid legal structure within the country, was dictated by the need to bring its service into full compliance with the changed conditions (public order after the revolutionary events of 1905–1906). Having studied archival documents (not all of which are widely available), the authors came to the conclusion that the proposals and recommendations of the Commission members related not only to activities of the police, but also to some executive authorities, to which certain police functions had to be transferred. The task of the research was to determine duties that were extrinsic to the police, causes of their appearance as police officers’ functions, and the degree of influence on the fulfillment of its main purpose – ensuring safety in society. During the research, a set of methods (comparative legal, analysis, generalization, comparative historical) was used to make conclusions. The research results are of great theoretical importance. The authors describe three lists of responsibilities extrinsic to activities of the police inhered in public and estate institutions, depending on their purpose; intended for transfer to the executive bodies of other departments already existing and specially created for this purpose. The analysis of historical experience in improving functional organization of the executive power system in the context of a crisis of state power has also applied significance. The article presents the circumstances that have served as the basis for the reorganization of the police, which differ in their content from other previously expressed author’s positions.

Keywords

• russian empire
• late imperial period
• police authorities