RESULTS OF SUPERVISORY ACTIVITIES
A meeting of the regional prosecutor's office board was held, at which the results of the prosecutor's office's work for the first half of 2016 were summarized, and tasks were defined to improve the effectiveness of supervisory activities for the future.
The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus, A.V. Konyuk, highly praised the work of the regional prosecutor's office. The Prosecutor General also outlined the main areas of activity and set specific tasks, on the resolution of which the prosecutor's office should focus its efforts in the near future.
Also, in their speeches, the regional prosecutor G.I. Dysko, and deputy regional prosecutors A.V. Sidorovich, G.A. Korenko, and V.I. Guk, not only highlighted positive work results but also noted shortcomings and miscalculations in law enforcement activities and proposed specific measures aimed at improving the crime situation and the state of legality in the region.
In particular, the board noted that this year, the regional prosecutor's office focused on key areas of supervisory activity related to ensuring law and order, combating corruption and economic crime, and strengthening the protection of citizens' lives and health.
Specific organizational and practical measures were implemented aimed at close coordination of the prosecutor's office's actions with all interested state structures to strengthen public safety and discipline. Increased attention was paid to crime prevention, combating alcoholism and drug addiction. High activity in general supervisory activities was maintained. Measures were taken to improve the quality of state prosecution. The economic interests of the state were effectively protected. Mass media were widely used to highlight the human rights role of the prosecutor's office.
Through the joint efforts of all law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial oversight measures, a stable operational environment was maintained. In the first half of 2016, 5547 crimes were registered in the region (+2.4%), while the number of murders, intentional grievous bodily harm, robberies, muggings, thefts, and car hijackings decreased. The number of repeat crimes, crimes committed in public places, and crimes committed while intoxicated decreased. The crime rate per 10,000 population was 46.4 (compared to 50.0 nationwide).
At the same time, a significant increase in crime occurred in Liozno, Postavy, Chashniki districts, and Vitebsk city. In Polotsk, Myory, Dubrovno, Gorodok districts, and Vitebsk city, the number of serious and especially serious crimes increased. Issues of preventing crimes against the life and health of citizens remain relevant, especially in Postavy, Senno, Chashniki, Myory districts, where the number of murders has increased. A high proportion of recidivism persists in Dokshitsy, Dubrovno, Verkhnedvinsk, Rossony, Tolochin, Chashniki districts. Active influence of prosecutors on preventing offenses among young people is not always ensured (Polotsk, Ushachy, Liozno, Postavy districts).
The state of legality in the activities of operational services, including the search for missing persons, needs improvement.
The issues of ensuring the security of critical and other socially significant facilities in the Vitebsk region from possible manifestations of extremism remain relevant, especially during the election campaign for deputies of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.
Work to prevent corruption has not been activated everywhere. For a long time, no facts of bribery were established in the Verkhnedvinsk, Glubokoe, Gorodok, Dokshitsy, and Ushachy districts.
More attention should be paid to ensuring the health of military personnel, preventing deaths, injuries, violations of statutory rules of interaction between them, preserving state property, and enforcing legislation on the conscription of citizens for urgent military service and reserve service.
This year, at the pre-trial stage, prosecutors canceled more than 1,300 illegal decisions by inquiry bodies to refuse to initiate criminal cases and to terminate investigations.
Also, 114 unsubstantiated decisions by investigators to refuse to initiate criminal cases were canceled, proceedings in 180 criminal cases were resumed after illegal decisions to suspend or terminate preliminary investigations, 2,670 criminal cases were sent to court for consideration, and 30 criminal cases were returned for additional investigation.
At the same time, courts issued acquittals in 4 criminal cases, and new charges were brought in court in 10 cases. In a number of regions, inquiry bodies made illegal decisions when considering applications and reports of crimes (Dubrovno, Gorodok, Polotsk districts, Novopolotsk).
The issues of enforcing environmental and land legislation, legislation on appeals from citizens and legal entities, on labor and labor protection, on crime prevention, on combating drunkenness and drug addiction, and on the performance of functions by controlling (supervisory) bodies remain relevant, to which prosecutors need to pay constant attention.
Deputy Head of the Organizational and Control Department
of the Vitebsk Region Prosecutor's Office, Svetlana Zaitseva