MOSCOW, December 27 (RIA Novosti) – Japanese graphic arts are about the last thing that Russian police is associated with, but in a sudden bid to be hip, the force put out an instruction on how to avoid fires and pedophiles done manga-style.
The instructional manual, available on the Interior Ministry’s website since Thursday, contains 24 pages of advice, as well as games for preschoolers.
The book covers some pretty tense situations, including on how to spray an attacker with aerosol should a can be at hand and how to arrange clothes when walking down a dark alley (jewelry should be removed and the skirt hitched down). Emergency numbers and guidelines on how to cross the street are also included.
The somewhat sloppy artwork features a family comprising a mother and two daughters (both unnamed), a masked attacker and several stern-faced police.
The manual was presented at the Moscow State Circus, where it gathered considerable attention from underage clown-watchers, judging by a photo report on the police’s site.
Comics were traditionally considered an interior art form in Russia, but started gaining popularity in recent years thanks to skyrocketing popularity of Japanese manga and anime.
As far as public outreach goes, the Russian police is still living in the past, utilizing images from 1960s-era Soviet cartoons in its ads, even in Moscow.
Admittedly, the force has bigger problems, being routinely accused of corruption, inefficiency and abuse of authority.
A sweeping reform in 2011 failed to sway the public, with trust ratings for police still standing at a disappointing 29 percent in October, according to a survey by the independent pollster Levada.
