Only 11 percent of Russians support an initiative by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to change the name of Russian law enforcers from the Russian "militsia" to the internationally accepted word "police," Russian business daily Vedomosti said on Friday.
The proposal is part of a large-scale reform of the country's law enforcement agencies launched by the Russian president in December 2009. Medvedev initiated the reform in an attempt to improve the image of Russian police following a series of high-profile police scandals that took place in Russia last year.
According to a recent survey by the Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), a total of 63 percent of Russians believe that law enforcers would not become better if they are renamed, Vedomosti said. Some 15 percent said the situation would become even worse.
On Thursday, during a meeting with the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in Pyatogorsk, Medvedev said the renaming of Russian law enforcers would only be a symbolic gesture.
"Of course, we will not change everything in a day, and our goal is much more that just renaming them," he said.
The police reform, which was put on the Internet for public discussion, includes cutting the number of policemen and increasing salaries. It would also prohibit people from entering the police forces if they are alcoholics, drug addicts, or have a past criminal record.
MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti)
