A dialogue of Oleg Kildyushov and Zinaida Peregudov

Abstract

The dialogue discloses the history and present condition of contemporary police reseaches which are the part of a specific discipline — policing studies in the broad sense. Drawing on the case of history of political security service interview provides a reconstruction of police studies history in the USSR and contemporary Russia. Specific attention is paid to the present condition of historiography on that topic. Even prominent scholars of that problem do not understand structure and real mechanics of law enforcement and state security activities in Russian Empire. Special attention is paid to organizing and functioning of Police Department — the chief agency of Internal Affairs Ministry and its interaction with other law enforcement bodies: general police, gendarmerie, etc. Dialogue discusses structural, ideological and personal aspects of law enforcement and state security activities in Russian Empire. The case of training for future policemen and state security agents is also being discussed against particular examples of how foremost Western police techniques influenced Russian police as well as attempts to reform it. The dialogue pays a lot of attention to Russian police reformation projects in the beginning of 20th century, especially to those prepared by count Ignatiev and Senator Makarov commission which acted within the so called “Special Deliberation Committee”. Interview compares these reformation projects with current attempts to reform contemporary law machinery of Russian Federation. Conversation is being concluded by discussing how perception of police by Russian society in general could be changed in some more positive way.