The fight against corruption is fought with varying success in many countries. The sluggish process no longer hurts anyone. And suddenly a small poor country succeeds and receives a lot of positive feedback. Georgian police have become a prime example that corruption can be defeated.
What happened
Georgia territorially separated from Russia in 1991. When the dust of the battles for independence and the presidency subsided, in 1993 the rebellious government, led by E. Shevardnadze, received Georgia, which was tormented in the internecine war. The president called himself a democrat and a liberal, began to conduct business according to the usual Soviet-corruption scenario.
Bribery swept everyone from the bottom to the top. The extortion vertical had a well-functioning model: a Georgian transport police officer received 10 GEL of a bribe, left 2 GEL for himself, and the rest of the money went upstairs, right up to the president. At a distance of 400 kilometers of motorists, traffic police stopped up to 20 times to receive tribute. It got to the point that drivers of heavy vehicles automated this process. In order not to stop every three kilometers, the trucker threw out a matchbox with money under the feet of a policeman out the window.
The levy scheme worked in all state institutions and the Georgian police.
The friendship and joint affairs of criminal authorities and government officials have completely erased the border between law and crime. People went for help to thieves for help, as there were no hopes for the police.
How did the reform begin?
The coming to power of Mikhail Saakashvili in 2004 marked the beginning of an era of change in Georgia. The new president was not burdened either with old ties, with obligations to friends and relatives, or with devotion to the old guard. His reforms began with the fight against corruption in the Georgian police.
The president and his team acted unceremoniously and harshly. In one day, the new administration fired the entire staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the amount of 15,000 people and replaced them with newly trained people.
In the summer of 2004, the new head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs abolishes the traffic police, and instead of it, patrol officers created by the American type leave for the roads. Now the policeman is distinguished not only by name, but also by equipment, uniform, behavior and responsibilities. A polite policeman of a road patrol controls his territory, driving a car, helps to resolve conflicts and is involved in resolving street incidents. By the way, the Minister of the Interior purchased new cars, and the Georgian police moved to Skoda-Octavia and Fords.
At the same time, salaries increased from $ 20 to $ 200 per month (from 1,200 rubles to 12,000 rubles).
New vs Old
People did not immediately believe in drastic changes - old habits and stereotypes worked. Newly recruited employees began to take bribes. The first wave of arrests and show trials went. The police officer, who received a bribe of $ 50 (3,000 rubles), was sentenced by the court to 10 years in prison.
Breaking the backbone of the many years of extortion practice was helped by new articles of the legislation that obliged employees to report on facts of bribery. The policeman himself may not take the money, but if he knows that his friend is doing this and is silent, he will also face criminal punishment. Specially trained agents disguised as ordinary citizens provoked police officers to receive bribes. Another group of inspectors, as partners, committed offenses to find out which of the employees covers each other. All actions of the police were recorded by a hidden camera.
The shots on which law enforcement officers violated the law were broadcast by all television channels of Georgia. Photos of the police who caught new employees on bribes were printed in newspapers. Two waves of arrests passed before both the employees and the population realized that there would be no return to the old days. The statistics of those years speaks for itself: before the new government came, 5,000 prisoners were in prison, with the start of reforms, 25,000 people were imprisoned, including thieves in law.
Thieves in law
In the 90s in Russia and the former Soviet republics, organized crime was controlled by more than 1000 thieves in law, of which 350 were Georgians. A large number of leaders of the criminal world in a small territory of Georgia increased the scope of criminal activity. Before the 2004 reforms, thieves in law kept the entire population at bay, as kidnapping, murder, arson, extortion and police inaction were commonplace.
The previous government tried to fight organized crime, some thieves in law were serving sentences in places of imprisonment. But a prison for criminal authority is a native home. In 2003, for the first time in many years, correctional institution administrations searched the cells of criminal bosses, before suppressing the uprising of prisoners. The prison authorities, in addition to the permitted abundance of food, found mobile phones, drugs, grenades and Kalashnikovs in their cells.
Sicily will help us
To combat the groups and their leaders, Mikheil Saakashvili applied the “Sicilian cart” method. It was developed and effectively put into practice by Leoluca Orlando, the mayor of the Italian city of Palermo (the settlement was considered the capital of the Sicilian mafia). The method is simple: repression and confiscation of property for mafiosi, culture and support for frightened citizens.
In 2005, the Georgian parliament adopted the controversial law "On Organized Crime and Racket", which introduced the concepts of "thief in law", "disassembly", "thieves' world." The new law used the "code of honor" of the criminal world against itself. A criminal authority or an ordinary member of a group cannot deny their position, otherwise the concepts of the thieves' world prescribed punishments and deprivation of status.
The new law did not require evidence of participation in the crime of a thief in law, it was enough to confess his position, for which a prison term of 7 to 10 years was provided. An ordinary gang member received from 5 to 7 years in prison for participating in the group.
The effectiveness of the actions of the Georgian police was supplemented by articles of the law allowing the confiscation of property belonging to the criminal, his family, close and distant relatives, the introduction of a transaction procedure with the investigation.
The next step of law enforcement agencies deprived thieves in law of elite life in prisons. In 2005, prosecutors arrested 40 criminal bosses and placed all in one prison, where there were no other prisoners. Communication only with a lawyer, no parcels from the will and cell phones - the Georgian police cut off all criminal communications. The leaders of the criminal gangs, who were still at large, hastily left the country. The bulk of the thieves in law moved to Russia.
Mentality change
Along with the repression of criminal elements, the presidential administration launched an advertising campaign. The national media daily demonstrated the effective work of the police. Policemen smiled at people from billboards in settlements. Law enforcement officers were invited to school classes to talk about their work.
The measures taken have yielded results: a vote of confidence in the police among the population has increased from 5% to 90%. According to M. Saakashvili, organized crime in Georgia is over. The profession of a policeman has become respected and prestigious. Even children's games have demonstrated changes in society. If earlier boys wanted to be thieves in law, and girls their wives, now children are happy to play police.
The most important breakthrough of the reforms was a change in the mentality of the public. The people perceive the actions of law enforcement agencies as fair and legal: the police just do not punish anyone.
Reforms Continue
Optimization drastically reduced the number of ministries and departments from 70 to 47. Reducing the number of employees by 3 times made it possible to increase salaries. The obligations of the liquidated organizations were assumed by the remaining state structures. For example, the Minister of the Interior manages the counterintelligence department, the counterterrorism center, the Georgian border police, etc.
Reforms swept along the way all state institutions, from which there was more harm than good in the fight against corruption. The fire inspection, sanitary and epidemiological surveillance, and inspection stations disappeared without a trace. At the same time, the number of fires and cockroaches did not increase.
The hallmark of global change is the new Georgian police building. Made of glass, they symbolically demonstrate to society the transparency of the work of law enforcement agencies.
Vehicle Registration
Another innovation is the simplification of the car registration procedure. The Georgian police copes with this task in a couple of hours without delay.
The motorist does not need to receive a health certificate, a unified electronic system will not let you register for a car if there are problems. The car owner selects the numbers from the window that they like, and they are assigned not to the car, but to the person for life. Also, a motorist can order any number for a fee. While the lucky owner of the car is screwing up the numbers, police officers prepare a registration certificate.
Conclusion
The reforms that Mikheil Saakashvili carried out during his presidency in Georgia are causing controversy in the world. Well-wishers admire the positive changes in the country, and critics find negative consequences of the government. But everyone recognizes one thing - the “Georgian miracle” is worthy of imitation.