Sowjetunion: Mehr Schutz gegen Rechtsverletzungen
Soviet Union: More Protection against Breaches of Law and Crime Rate

Summary/Abstract: The decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On Improving Labor for the Protection of the Legal System and Strengthening the Struggle Against Violations" of September 11, 1979, was made to a certain extent because of "pressure from below". For months, Soviet newspapers had received letters and the authorities have been overburdened with complaints about the increase in crime, especially violence in large cities. The population complained about the failures of the law enforcement bodies and called for immediate action. Even "Pravda" (September 27, 1979) admitted in its editorial that in many cities "hooligans" and drunks "feel at home" as a result of the passivity of law enforcement officers. The correspondent of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (September 20, 1979) also reported: "There is hardly a Muscovite who opens the apartment door by night when somebody rings the bell, before he has assured himself by implication that a friend is standing outside. (See also: Murder for Jeans, in: Der Spiegel, No. 50, 10. 12.1979, pp. 193-195.)

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