A coordination meeting on combating crime and corruption was held in the Vitebsk region

A coordination meeting on combating crime and corruption in the Vitebsk region was held to address topical issues of criminal prosecution bodies' compliance with legislation when considering applications and reports, investigating criminal cases of crimes provided for by Art. 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, searching for accused persons in this category of cases and persons evading their child support obligations, and improving the effectiveness of preventive measures in preventing such offenses.

The presentations noted that law enforcement agencies and preventive entities are taking organizational and practical measures aimed at complying with legislation when considering applications and reports of crimes, investigating criminal cases provided for by Art. 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, and preventing such offenses.

The main causes and conditions contributing to the commission of crimes provided for by Art. 174 of the Criminal Code, along with social factors such as alcoholism among a part of the population, family dysfunction, unemployment, and poor living conditions, also include the unwillingness of debtors to be officially employed and make full payments under enforcement documents.

It was stated that departmental control in internal affairs bodies is in a satisfactory condition. The management of internal affairs bodies issues instructions on verification materials, monitors the implementation of these instructions, and checks the legality of procedural actions. When illegal decisions are identified in accordance with Art. 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Belarus, motions for their cancellation are sent to prosecutors.

At the same time, prosecutors ensure proper supervision of the legality of decisions made by internal affairs bodies on materials of the specified category, and take prosecutorial response measures for identified violations of legislation during its exercise.

However, a generalization conducted by the regional prosecutor's office showed that in the work of law enforcement and other interested

the structures have shortcomings and omissions that require the adoption of additional measures to eliminate them.

In the Vitebsk region, as of May 1, 2018, 2,661 (2,720 - 2.2%) children were registered for whom parents are obliged to reimburse the costs of maintenance. The level of reimbursement of costs for children in state care by obligated persons in the region was 60.06%.

At the same time, instances of formalism continue to occur in the implementation of the requirements of Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 18 of November 24, 2006 "On additional measures for state protection of children in dysfunctional families."

Thus, there are cases of red tape in the employment of obligated persons, both due to the fault of labor, employment and social protection bodies (Novopolotsk City Executive Committee) and due to the improper fulfillment by internal affairs bodies of duties to deliver obligated persons to the said bodies to obtain a referral for employment (Verkhnedvinsk District Department of Internal Affairs).

Employers do not always inform internal affairs bodies, labor, employment and social protection committees about the failure of obligated persons to appear for work, and do not provide time sheets (Braslav, Vitebsk, Dubrovensky, Lepelsky, Lioznensky, Orshansky, Postavsky, Ushachsky districts, Novopolotsk city).

Measures are not always taken to bring obligated persons who evade work to administrative responsibility under Article 9.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus (Lioznensky district, Novopolotsk city). At the same time, the requirements of Part 1 of Article 18.8 of the Procedural and Enforcement Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus on the mandatory involvement of administratively arrested obligated persons in labor are not always properly fulfilled.

Thus, in 2017, under Article 9.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus, 1,588 obligated persons were brought to responsibility for evading work, or 74.8% of the total number (2,113) of working citizens of this category.

The region also notes a decrease in the number of registered crimes provided for by Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus

Belarus: in 2017 – from 816 to 732, in Q1 2018 – from 194 to 160, in 5 months of 2018 – from 328 to 269. At the same time, an increase in these crimes was allowed in Gluboksky, Gorodoksky and Dubrovensky districts.

Based on the results of the discussion, an appropriate decision was made aimed at improving activities in this area of work.

Prosecutor of the Organizational and Control Department,
N. Levyankova Prosecutor of the Department for Supervision of Inquiry and Operational-Investigative Activities A. Lysakov