OREANDA-NEWS. February 18, 2010. The draft laws amend the law On the Police Force, the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of Russia.

Changes to the law On the Police Force and several other statutes are intended to improve professionalism, discipline, and efficiency of the force.

Changes to the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code are aimed at strengthening the protection of the rights and lawful interests of individuals and entities from police malfeasance. In particular, it was proposed to introduce stricter punishment for offences committed by active police officers. It was also proposed that police officers be held criminally liable for failing to obey an order given lawfully and in a prescribed manner, when such a failure resulted in significant harm to the rights and lawful interests of individuals or entities, or to the public or state interests protected by law.

Other improvements in law enforcement practices were also proposed.