MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Interior Ministry has been asked to analyze and take into account the negative reaction to American police forces during the mass protests in Ferguson, Missouri, the newspaper "Izvestia" reported Tuesday.
The initiative was proposed to the ministry by Anton Tsvetkov, chairman of the panel of the "Officers of Russia" movement, head of the security commission of the Russian Civic Chamber. He believes that during the protests in Ferguson police officers displayed unprofessional actions and conduct. As such, he has asked Russian law enforcement to study the mistakes of their American colleagues.
"The analysis of the police actions in Ferguson proves that they were not proportionate to the situation. The force was excessive, in most cases weaponry was used for no particular reason. Nevertheless, the police forces were unable to take the situation under control for several days. We all remember that during the crackdown some journalists were injured, which is evidence of a poor level of professionalism among police forces," said Tsvetkov.
According to him, experts from the "Officers of Russia" center for crime protection have scrutinized the actions of American police forces both before and during the calamity in Ferguson.
The experts came to the conclusion that the police units made numerous mistakes, not only in work with operational data and agents, but also in maintaining their public image.
"In fact, there were no attempts of dialogue with civil leaders or society. Local officials and police tried to curb the conflict using force. However, local officials could predict a reaction to such a murder because Ferguson is mostly resided by African-Americans," Tsvetkov added.
In August, Ferguson was swept by a wave of riots following the death of Michael Brown. The local residents protested against the abuse of force by police and discrimination, they demanded the arrest of the police officer who shot the teenager. According to media reports, to suppress the protests, police used armored vehicles, high-technology weaponry and stun grenades. Violence resumed in Ferguson September 24, after a memorial of Michael Brown was destroyed in a fire.
Andrei Krasov, Hero of the Russian Federation and member of the Russian Parliament committee for defense, thinks that it would be helpful to train Russian police officers to prevent a similar tragedy in Russia.
"There should be such training for the Russian police, perhaps, in a form of a game. Our police officers should be ready for similar events, so it would be better to learn from the mistakes of others, than from our own ones," he said.
Sergei Petrov, a security specialist, agrees that Russian police should draw on experience of foreign countries – both positive and negative. Moreover, he believes it is crucial to analyze actions of police officers in Russia.
"Psychological and legal training of Russian police officers working with victims, needs to be seriously improved. […] I always understood that there has been a lack of psychological resources," Petrov said. "When I look at American police acting … I understand that they protect successfully their lives and rights, but they violate women’s and drivers’ rights," he continued.
The expert remarked that in Russia it is not uncommon that police officers abuse their authorities. He also proposes that police from Germany, Israel and Estonia could serve as a positive example because of their priority to protect people’s interests and safety.
