Results of field operations by the transport law enforcement agencies in 2006

In 2006, the transport law enforcement agencies of the MOI made extensive efforts to ensure public order and safety, protect transport facilities from terrorist threats, safeguard citizens from criminal attacks, decriminalize the transport sector of the economy, and combat trafficking in drugs and firearms. Throughout the reporting period, the law enforcement agencies monitored the situation in their sphere of responsibility and responded to any adverse changes.

In 2006, the priority directions in the operation of the Transport Law Enforcement Department and its subordinated agencies were as follows:

- organizing work to prevent terrorist attacks and sabotage on transport facilities and enhance antiterrorist safety of such facilities (jointly with the management of transport enterprises and organizations and other law enforcement agencies);

- undertaking a set of investigative measures to detect and deter violations and corrupt practices during the implementation of structural and economic reforms in the federal railroad transport system and during privatization and corporatization of air and water transport enterprises;

- carrying out measures to ensure safety of transport sector workers and passengers and their luggage;

- carrying out measures to cut off channels of firearms, munitions, explosives, and drug trafficking;

- carrying out investigative and preventive measures to detect and prevent theft of cargo transported by rail, air or water transport, primarily petroleum products and metals;

- organizing work to combat juvenile crime, prevent child neglect, and provide needed assistance to teenagers.

In 2006, the Transport Law Enforcement Department of the MOI of Russia and transport law enforcement agencies jointly with the Transport Ministry of the Russian Federation, rail, air and water transport organizations and enterprises, and other federal agencies carried out extensive efforts to improve the protection of the transport complex from illegal interference.

Additional measures have been undertaken to step up security and access control at vital strategic facilities and crowded passenger terminals. Round-the-clock monitoring has been provided using video surveillance systems. Stricter access control has been implemented at stationary transport facilities, which involves ID checks and inspection of hand and hold luggage.

Stationary metal detectors and X-ray machines have been installed at entry points to airport buildings, along with careful preflight and postflight inspections of passengers, their luggage and carry-on items, crew members, pilots, onboard resources of aircraft, cargo and mail.

The main counterterrorist measures carried out by the law enforcement agencies at Russian air transport facilities include:

- daily security checks of airport buildings, fuel and lubricants storage facilities, and runways by teams with specially trained dogs. To ensure safety during preflight inspection of passengers and their hand and hold luggage, the transport law enforcement agencies use 320 sniffer dogs, including 132 dogs trained to sniff for firearms, explosive substances and devices;

- daily joint debriefings of transport service workers, on-duty officers of aviation security services and security guards, regular inspections of perimeter fencing;

- round-the-clock monitoring to prevent unsanctioned parking of transport vehicles near airports and their infrastructure facilities; joint car patrols of the airport perimeter;

- preflight and postflight inspections of passengers, luggage, and crew members by inspection units.

The transport law enforcement agencies currently have 145 specialized inspection units with a 1,916-strong staff.

During 2006, they inspected 594,000 flights and 40 million passengers. Some 68,200 individuals were prosecuted administratively; 730 crimes were detected, including 84 cases of illegal arms trafficking and 48 cases of illegal drug trafficking. Some 67,000 attempts to bring illegal items and substances onboard were deterred. The units seized 355 pieces of firearms, 307 pieces of edged weapons, 12,400 pieces of munitions, 5.7 kilograms of explosives, 39 kilograms of precious metals and gemstones, and 45.6 million rubles worth of foreign currency.

Additionally, as part of the efforts to ensure air transport safety, measures are undertaken to prevent deliveries of counterfeit aircraft replacement parts that are used under forged documents (forged certificates and technical passports that extend the service life of replacement parts) to conduct repairs and maintenance of aircraft.

During the reporting period, there was not a single instance of illegal interference with the operation of civilian aviation, hijacking of aircraft, or terrorist and sabotage acts.

In 2006, the transport law enforcement agencies operated in the conditions of structural reforms of the federal railway transport system and corporatization and redistribution of assets in the air and water transport sectors.

In such conditions, one of the key objectives for the transport law enforcement agencies is to deter property lease violations involving illegal use of federal property at transport facilities, illegal disposal of federal property by way of false bankruptcy of companies.

Overall in 2006, the law enforcement agencies stepped up their efforts to detect and deter crimes in the sphere of transport economics. A majority of the 80,900 crimes detected in the transport sector were crimes of economic nature. The transport law enforcement agencies deterred 34,700 economic crimes, or nearly half (43%) of all crimes recorded in the transport sector, exposed over 17,300 individuals involved in such crimes, and returned over 1.1 billion rubles to state coffers.

The transport law enforcement agencies focus considerable attention on organizing and conducting measures to detect and cut off channels of arms, munitions, and explosives trafficking. In 2006, more than 3,000 crimes in this category were detected. The number of arms trafficking cases rose by 5.2%, with the transport system accounting for 10.2% of all such crimes in Russia. There has been a threefold increase in the number of crimes committed by organized crime groups.

The transport law enforcement agencies, jointly with relevant territorial agencies, organized and conducted comprehensive local preventive measures to seize arms in illegal ownership.

One of the key tasks addressed by the transport law enforcement agencies is cutting off drug trafficking channels that use rail, air and water transport. During the first month of 2007, the transport law enforcement agencies recorded 13,200 crimes involving trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances. More than 1.8 tons of narcotic substances have been confiscated.

Yet this problem remains as acute ever. Criminals use all kinds of transport to traffic drugs, mail and cargo shipments, all kinds of markings, and use passengers and transport system workers as drug mules. To cut off drug trafficking channels, the law enforcement agencies have established screening systems at railway terminals that service trains from Central Asian destinations and at border crossings, where trains, passengers, and luggage are inspected. Specialized operative search groups continue to inspect trains en route on Russian territory, at major train hubs, terminal stations, and in storage yards. Sniffer dog teams with dogs trained to sniff for narcotic substances are enlisted to sweep trains. To cut off drug trafficking channels that use air transport, the law enforcers inspect passengers arriving on flights from Central Asia as well as so-called connecting flights during which drug traffickers switch from international to domestic airlines.

Efforts to counter the drug threat are undertaken in close cooperation with law enforcers in other countries. For example, jointly with the Transport Law Enforcement Department of the MOI of Tajikistan the Russian law enforcers exposed and arrested members of an organized criminal group, nationals of Tajikistan, who organized a trafficking channel to smuggle drugs to Russia. During the joint operation, 80 kilograms of heroin were confiscated from them.

Jointly with the administrations of rail, air and water transport facilities, the transport law enforcement agencies conduct measures to detect and deter theft of transported cargo. Detection of crimes involving cargo theft is the province of the transport law enforcement agencies. Nonetheless, 2006 saw a 12% increase in the number of cargo theft crimes in areas serviced by all transport law enforcement departments.

To ensure safety of cargo shipments, the Department and transport law enforcement agencies, jointly with representatives of transport enterprises and guard services, have organized measures to step up protection of freight trains. There is a constant exchange of information about carriers' statements about missing cargo. Joint convoys have been formed to escort cargo trains. Efforts are underway to technically reinforce existing commercial inspection sites.

Automated systems of train and carriage monitoring, carriage weighing systems, video surveillance systems, sentry towers, and communications facilities allowing communication with transport law enforcers are installed at freight train commercial inspection sites at border crossings. In the sphere of migration policy, transport law enforcers jointly with territorial units across the Russian Federation have organized coordinated targeted operative and preventive measures and special operations to detect illegal migration channels, use of forged passports, migration cards and other documents, and violations by individuals and organizations of the established rules for hiring foreign workforce.

During 2006, law enforcers conducted 10,700 measures to stop illegal entry onto Russian territory by foreign nationals and individuals without citizenship, and crackdowns on their illegal residencies. Some 6,100 transport facilities and 4,600 organizations hiring foreign nationals were inspected. 214,600 foreign nationals were prosecuted administratively and 3,900 were deported. Close to 3,300 crimes committed by foreign nationals were detected, and 736 criminal cases opened against individuals who used forged documents. 89 kilograms of narcotic substances were confiscated.

The transport law enforcement agencies assist fellow law enforcers in CIS member states in locating and arresting wanted individuals. The "Search-Highway" operation produced 523 arrests of individuals on international wanted lists.

Especially close cooperation has been established with fellow transport law enforcers in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

They regularly conduct joint preventive and search measures and special operations to prevent, detect, deter and investigate crimes committed within the transport system.

Jointly with the Transport Law Enforcement Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, the Russian law enforcers carried out a preventive operation codenamed "Passenger", as part of which the law enforcers escorted 11,700 passenger trains - 650 international and 11,000 commuter trains, and detected 282 crimes, including 47 grave offences. Four criminal groups have been arrested. 223 criminals have been arrested, including 6 criminals on the international wanted list. Some 24,500 individuals have been prosecuted administratively, including 23,000 Russian nationals and 1,500 Ukrainian nationals.

The Transport Law Enforcement Department of the Russian MOI has organized measures to prevent child neglect and homelessness and juvenile crime at transport facilities, to detect homeless and socially disadvantaged teenagers and refer them to specialized institutions for children.

Special attention is paid to escorting organized groups of children during the summer vacation period. During the summertime, train escort teams include inspectors from juvenile units. During the summer vacation period, the transport law enforcers ensured safe travel of 1.7 million children to summer vacation destinations. Some 60,000 children were transported by air to resort areas in Krasnodar and Stavropol provinces.

Thanks to measures undertaken in 2006, the overall juvenile crime rate in the transport system declined by 3%. Juvenile crimes accounted for 4.2% of all crimes committed in the transport system (as compared to 4.5% in 2005, and 8.4% of crimes committed in Russia overall).

Successful work with underage children was facilitated by preventive measures that targeted railway stations, public areas adjoining railway stations, commercial and entertainment outlets located near transport facilities, and helped detect neglected children and juvenile delinquents, locate places of their concentration, and detect individuals who involve teenagers in crimes and illegal activities.

This year, the transport law enforcement agencies carried out a comprehensive preventive operation codenamed "Semaphore", which involved 3,800 law enforcers, 350 representatives of juvenile commissions, 345 educational workers, more than 200 representatives of public associations, and 625 rail transport workers. During the operation, 14,200 underage children were detected, of whom 13,800 were returned to their parents, 405 placed with specialized institutions for children, and 48 referred to temporary detention centers for juvenile delinquents. Some 6,500 teenagers were detained for administrative violations and more than 100 for crimes. 1,200 adults were prosecuted administratively and 30 adults were prosecuted criminally. 142 runaway teenagers on the missing persons list have been returned. Some 3,900 transport facilities have been inspected, and 9,100 neglected teenagers and juvenile delinquents have been detected.

In their work, the transport law enforcement agencies prioritize human rights and liberties, and principles of building a law-governed state and a civil society and ensuring the safety of citizens and their property. They continue to make progress along these lines.

Transport Law Enforcement Department of the MOI of Russia

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