The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) is planning to issue special instructions for police officers involved in inspecting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced MVD head Rashid Nurgaliev.
Nurgaliev asked the directors of all MVD posts to end groundless inspections of small- and medium-sized businesses. Officers are also not to loiter around businesses hoping to catch someone in an illegal act.
The guidelines are being released for those officers who do not have a proper understanding of their rights and duties when it comes to carrying out inspections. “I was given instructions by the MVD’s research institute to come up with corresponding recommendations for all MVD employees concerning inspections and their relations with small businesses,” explained Minister Nurgaliev, who is working on the publication.
Any unlawful interference in a business’s affairs will be severely punished.
“MVD Order No. 1065 from December 5, 2008 clearly states that police officers do not have the right to inspect businesses without substantial information that a crime has been committed,” Nurgaliev said. He emphasized that, “any violations of this order will be revealed and immediately stopped.” This also applies to “business activities that do not contain any signs of criminal activity or that lie outside of the MVD’s jurisdiction of administrative offenses.”
In addition, Nurgaliev asked for MVD employees to step up their work investigating “black market” activities that are impeding the development of lawful businesses. “Police officers should be tough in stopping the activities of businesses that operate in the ‘underground economy’ and utilize the labor of illegal immigrants,” he added.
The MVD reports that, in the first six months of 2009, 43,500 crimes were exposed in the consumer market and 32,000 criminal cases were taken to court.
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