4. Join Forces or Lose Out to Terrorists

Moscow News

Are special services in a position to deal with a wave of terrorism?

A new wave of terrorism — international, nationalist, or purely criminal — has swept Russia. Is our law enforcement system in a position to operate effec­tively and efficiently in these conditions? Taking an impartial view of the situation, it has to be said that in recent years the power structures have learned good deal. They have learned to fight organized crime, extortion rackets, and hostage taking as well as to untangle hitherto unknown hard-nut-to-crack crime in the economy. They have even learned to cooperate with foreign special services — moreover, often leaving them in the dust.

Today, however, the impression is that the crime situation is beginning to slip out of control.

Why? I believe that the main reason is lack of coordination in the activity of all power structures. What I mean is, above all, that there is no integrated crime data bank in the country. All law enforcement agencies have been developing independently, in isolation from each other. Information search and retrieval systems storing data on criminal communities, their leaders, their links with gov­ernment officials, their armed units, and international contacts, exist in the nu­merous agencies engaged in what is known as operational and investigative activities: the Interior Ministry (MVD), the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Federal Tax Police Service (FSNP), the State Customs Committee (GTK), the Federal Border Service (FPS), the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), the For­eign Intelligence Service (SVR), the Federal Government Communications and Information Agency (FAPSI), the Federal Protection Service (FSO), and the Ministry of Justice. All of these data banks are not linked with each other in any way; they are based on different principles without regard for international standards. If various special services are asked to provide information on the location of organized crime groups, their numerical strength, weapons and equipment, connections with government and administrative agencies, and contacts with large financial groups, they will come up with conflicting sets of data. The most lamentable thing is that no one is even trying to build a Russia-wide mafia paradigm. There is no standardization even within individual agen­cies themselves: different subdivisions set up incompatible information systems. Meanwhile, inventorying of the mafia, so to speak, is the main precondition for a successful struggle against it.

What is the situation now? Each act of terrorism and each high-profile con­tract killing sparks off an internal and interagency rivalry to beat the others to crime clearance. And only when all of them come to a dead end do they start talking about interaction and coordination.

Similar lack of coordination can be observed in comparing information of capital flight in possession of various power structures with Central Bank and Finance Ministry data.

Under current laws, the Prosecutor General's Office is supposed to ensure general coordination in the law enforcement sphere. And this is absolutely right. Yet general coordination should not be confused with tackling specific prob­lems involved in creating an integrated interagency operational/ investigative data bank on the real crime situation in the country.

It is high time to set up a supra-departmental agency to coordinate the fight against organized crime, corruption, and terrorism. This agency should be not a power instrument, but a single think-tank for all special services. It could be created within the framework of the RF Security Council or the Presidential Staff. This agency should not be mistaken for the existing Security Council's Inter­agency Anti-Organized Crime and Corruption Commission which is a purely advisory body.

It should be a real super-special service whose priorities should be as fol­lows: streamlining the crime data bank; eliminating senseless and harmful rivalry between the agencies; putting in place rigorous mechanisms for interaction on related criminal cases; working out an effective technology to eliminate specific crime groups; and defining a uniform strategy to fight the mafia in Russia.

Predictably, all heads of the power structures without exception will resist the creation of such a coordinating body, citing considerations of confidential­ity and secrecy. No one has ever wanted — nor will ever want — to work according to uniform standards. That would prevent them from playing accord­ing to their own rules. Yet, if effective order is to be ensured in the country, this game must give way to a common cause.