The Saint Petersburg Police (russian: полиция Санкт-Петербурга), officially the Main Administration for Internal Affairs of the City of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast (Главное управление внутренних дел Санкт-Петербурга и Ленинградской области) is the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

force of

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. The main responsibilities of the service are the

internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility for internal secu ...

, protection of human rights and freedoms, suppression and detection of crime, and protection of

public order In criminology, public-order crime is defined by Siegel (2004) as "crime which involves acts that interfere with the operations of society and the ability of people to function efficiently", i.e., it is behaviour that has been labelled criminal ...

. It is one of the oldest police services in Russia and the world, established on June 7, 1718, by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

as the

municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...

for city of Saint Petersburg. During the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

, from 1924 the service was known as the Leningrad Militsiya (russian: милицию Ленинграда) until 1991, when it was changed to Saint Petersburg Militsiya (russian: милицию Санкт-Петербурга). The service adopted its current name in 2011 following reform in law enforcement agencies across Russia replacing the term "''

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

''" with "police". The Saint Petersburg Police belongs to the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

, an agency of the

Government of Russia The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...

, but is primarily subordinate to the state governments of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, respectively. The service is headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor of Saint Petersburg, and is then confirmed by the

Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg (russian: Законода́тельное собра́ние Санкт-Петербу́рга, ЗакС) is the regional parliament of Saint Petersburg, a federal subject (federal city) of Russia ...

on the recommendation of the

President of Russia The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federa ...

. The current Commissioner of Saint Petersburg Police since February 11, 2012, is Lieutenant-General Sergey Umnov.

History

Tsarist era

The Saint Petersburg Police was established by Tsar

on June 7, 1718, as the main

force in

, the capital of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

which had been founded by Peter only fifteen years earlier.

Anton de Vieira António Manuel de Vieira, known in Russia as Count Anton Manuilovich Devier (also spelled Divier, Антон Мануилович Девиер (1682? – ), was one of Peter I of Russia, Peter I's foreign associates, who proved to be an effic ...

, a

batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

of Peter and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Saint Petersburg at the time, was appointed as the first "Oberpolitzmeister" (a German, not Russian word: Senior Police Master), the title for the commander of the city police service. The department survived intact until 1917 during the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and some ...

, when most of the Saint Petersburg Police remained loyal to the Imperial government. A number of policemen were killed after the defection of the bulk of the city's army garrison to the revolution, especially when a rumour spread that the police were firing with machine guns from the roofs of buildings.

Soviet and post-Soviet periods

Shortly after the overthrow of the Imperial government the department was formally disbanded. Following the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

, a new

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

police force was established under the title of ''

'', which replaced the functions of the Saint Petersburg Police. In 1924, following the renaming of Saint Petersburg to Leningrad in honor of

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

, the city police were known as the Leningrad Militsiya (russian: милицию Ленинграда. This name continued until 1991, shortly after the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, when it was changed to Saint Petersburg Militsiya (милицию Санкт-Петербурга) after the name of the city was reverted. The service adopted its current name on March 1, 2011, as part of wider law enforcement legislative reform backed by Russian President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

, which abandoned usage of the term "''militsiya''" in favor of the re-adoption of "politsiya" (police) in law enforcement agencies across Russia.

Organization and structure

Organization

* Tourism Police (The St. Petersburg Tourist Police; туристическая полиция) was established in 2011 as a single law enforcement agency for crimes committed against tourists and is responsible for providing assistance to visitors to the city. The Tourist Police was given responsibility for undertaking these roles by the regional branch of the Russian Tourism Ministry. * The River Police of St. Petersburg – The River Police of St. Petersburg (Речная полиция Санкт-Петербурга) was a unique law enforcement body that was responsible for supervision over the waters of the rivers in

and the body was subordinate to the city police commissioner. The River Police force was established in 1866. * Central Investigation Department (The Detective Police of St. Petersburg; Сыскная полиция Санкт-Петербурга) was established in 1714 and was the first of its kind in Russia. In 1880, the detective police was replaced with the Capital Department of the

Okhrana The Department for Protecting the Public Security and Order (russian: Отделение по охранению общественной безопасности и порядка), usually called Guard Department ( rus, Охранное отд ...

. Since 1918, the function of investigating crime in the city has been performed by the Main Criminal Investigations Directorate. * Aviation Directorate * Crime Scene Unit * High-Crimes office * Management of private security * Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption * Mounted Police *

OMON OMON (russian: ОМОН – Отряд Мобильный Особого Назначения , translit = Otryad Mobil'nyy Osobogo Naznacheniya , translation = Special Purpose Mobile Unit, , previously ru , Отряд Милиции Осо� ...

– Special Response Unit * Directorate of accidents registration * Office of the State Inspection of Road Safety (Traffic Police) * Administration for the protection of public order and interaction with the executive authorities * Press service and information center * Cultural center * Pension Service Center * Professional training center * Federal Migratory Police (Official Website) * Main Directorate for Drugs Control

District Police Departments

Saint Petersburg Police Commissioner

The Commissioner of the Saint Petersburg Police, officially Head of Internal Affairs of Saint Petersburg, is a

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

with authority as the head of the service, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the department as well as the appointment of deputies and subordinate officers. The Commissioner is a policeman administrator appointed by the appointed by the Governor of Saint Petersburg, confirmed after the approval of the

by recommendation of the

, and serves indefinitely at the Governor's will. The position is sometimes mistaken as the Chief of Police, which is separate from the Saint Petersburg Police and the holder of which serves as the Deputy to the Head of Internal Affairs. The current Commissioner is Lieutenant-General Roman Plugin, who was appointed by Governor Aleksander Beglov and took office on 2019. The longest serving Commissioner is Aleksander Sokolov, who served as Commissioner of the Leningrad Militsiya for 10 years (1962–1972), under Mayors Vasily Isayev and Aleksandr Sizov.

List of heads of Main Interior affairs Dept. of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast

* Arkady Kramarev (1990–1994) * Yuri Loskutov (1994–1996) * Anatoly Ponidelko (1996–1998) * Victor Vlasov (June 1998 – November 1999) * Benjamin Petukhov (1999–2002) * Mikhail Vanichkin (2002–2006) * Vladislav Piotrovsky (2006–2011) * Mikhail Sukhodolsky (2011–2012) * Sergey Umnov (2012–2019) * Roman Plugin (Since February 28, 2019)

Former positions

Oberpolitzmeister of Saint Petersburg

The position of Commissioner can be traced back to the position of Oberpolitzmeister, meaning "''Chief master of the police''" in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, created by Tsar Peter the Great when he founded the Saint Petersburg Police in 1718 to take charge of the day-to-day operation of the service.

= List of Oberpolitzmeisters of Saint Petersburg

= *

(1718–1745), while serving as Mayor of Saint Petersburg * Christoph von Münnich (1731–1732) *Vasily Saltykov (1732–1740) *Fyodor Naumov (1740–1744) *Alexei Tatischev (1745–1760) *Nikolai Corff (1760–1766) *Nikolai Chicherin (1764–1778) *Dmitry Volkov (1778–1782) *Nikita Riliev (1784–1794) *Fyodor Trepov (1866–1873) *Alexander Kozlov (1881–1882) *Peter Gresser (1882–1883)

= List of commissioners of the Leningrad Militsiya

= * Clement Voroshilov (1917–1918) * Aleksandr Sokolov (1962–1972)

Popular culture

Television series

* ''Petersburg Gangsters'' (Бандитский Петербург) features the conflict between Saint Petersburg Police and local criminals. * '' Liteiniy, 4'' (Литейный, 4) is centered on a special unit in the Saint Petersburg Police located on

Liteyny Avenue Liteyny Avenue (russian: Лите́йный проспе́кт, ''Liteyny Prospekt'') is a wide avenue in the Central District of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The avenue runs from Liteyny Bridge to Nevsky Avenue. The avenue originated in 1738 w ...

. The title of the show is a reference to the address of

Bolshoy Dom Bolshoy Dom (russian: Большой дом, lit. ''the Big House'') is an office building located at 4 Liteyny Avenue in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the headquarters of the local Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast branches of the Federal ...

, the Saint Petersburg headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. * '' Deadly Force'' (Убойная сила) starring

Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbur ...

, one of the most popular TV series about Saint Petersburg Police, was aired on Channel One since 2000 til 2005, for 6 seasons and 57 episodes. Alongside this series, was another TV Show about local police called ''

Streets of Broken Lights ''Streets of Broken Lights'' (russian: Улицы разбитых фонарей, Ulitsy razbitykh fonarey) is a Russian criminal drama-detective TV series anthology about police work in Saint-Petersburg. The pilot episode, known as ''Menty'' (r ...

'' (Улицы разбитых фонарей) which was aired for 15 seasons and 433 episodes, from 1998 til 2014. * ''Opera. Homicide's Chronicles'' (Опера. Хроники убойного отдела) which aired first on

Russia-1 Russia-1 (russian: Россия-1) is a state-owned Russian television channel, first aired on 14 February 1956 as Programme Two in the Soviet Union. It was relaunched as RTR on 13 May 1991, and is known today as Russia-1. It is the flagship ch ...

in November 2004.

References

External links

Official Website

Department for Road Safety of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast
(Saint Petersburg Traffic Police)
Police Commissioner page on the Saint Petersburg Police website
* http://police-vyborg.ru/ Vyborg Police {{Authority control Organizations based in Saint Petersburg 1718 establishments in Russia Law enforcement agencies of Russia