Police Officer Describes Real Moscow Service Duties
Among the gray identical panel buildings near Alma-Atinskaya station in Moscow«s Brateyevo district, a small police outpost is tucked away. Every day, pensioners come with complaints about noise, students who fell victim to scams, and young mothers grumbling about troublemakers in the courtyard.
And each of them must be listened to, have their statement filed, a conversation conducted, and then reported to the superiors.
In honor of Police Officer Day, MSK1.RU spent a day with a precinct officer who works on the front lines daily. Together with the police, as they say, we went on a patrol of the residential area to interview locals and address complaints.
From Travel Agent to Investigator and the Ministry of Internal Affairs
In a small room, two wooden desks stand facing each other. A bit further away — a coat rack where police jackets hang, with stars gleaming on the epaulets.
At one of the desks sits a seemingly fragile blonde with strikingly black eyelashes. This is Natalya Sakanyan. She has been serving as a precinct officer in Brateyevo for a little less than a year. Before that, she worked as an investigator. And originally, she studied to be a travel agent.
«I ended up in the internal affairs agencies completely by accident — on the advice of friends,» Natalya Sakanyan said. «I came, tried it, and I liked it. So I stayed to work. Previously, I was involved in pre-investigation checks and sending cases to court — that«s a completely different specialty. Investigation is also an important and interesting field. But over time, I realized that I want to develop in another area and try myself in a new direction of service.»
According to the precinct officer, the hardest part was mentally adjusting to the new job. She was used to working with suspects and victims. In investigation, she had to interrogate and gather evidence for court.
«Elderly Women Come Almost Every Day»
Every day, Natalya together with her partner Mikhail, who also works as a precinct officer, makes rounds of the «profuchetniki» — individuals recently released from prison who are under police supervision.
«There«s no strict daily schedule, of course. There are many tasks — I want to get everything done,» the precinct officer shared. «The only thing is, during reception hours, we are always at our workplace. We receive citizens, take statements, handle appeals, and explanations for work.»
The precinct officer has to deal not only with paperwork or disputes with local residents, but also monitor everything happening in the district. If something is overlooked — they«ll be questioned about it first thing. Precinct officers also check compliance with migration legislation. And even if you don»t know the language, you still have to manage.
«It«s different with everyone. Some speak Russian, some don»t,» Natalya said. «Sometimes it«s quite difficult with them: you communicate through a translator because, accordingly, no one knows the language. It»s not as complicated as it seems.»
The main sources of information in the district are pensioners. After a 5 a.m. bus ride and sitting on a bench, they always stop by their precinct officer to tell about new mischief that the downstairs neighbor has caused.
«Our grannies come almost every day,» the officer said with a smile. «We try to resolve all issues: sometimes it works out right away, sometimes we have to look for a solution. The main thing is that we always manage to find a compromise with both the elderly and the young.»
«But You«re a Girl»
When asked: «Has there been anything in your work that you«re proud of?» Natalya immediately answered with a smile: «Yes, literally every day!» The precinct officer says that she only appears sweet and gentle — on duty, it»s completely different. At the same time, the police officer says that she has never been scared at work. And yet, she has had to break up drunken brawls, separate fighting spouses, and force her way into drug addicts« homes.
«When I transferred to this position, many were surprised: «Why a precinct officer? You»re a girl.« But, as they say, all girls are different,» Natalya explained. «Yes, I»m outwardly fragile, but I have a strong character and inner core. Colleagues are always ready to help if support is needed. I know that if I call, the guys will never refuse. The work of a precinct officer isn«t always easy: not every door is opened with a smile and an invitation to enter. But I»m not alone — there«s a team nearby.»
We had no questions about the precinct officer«s gender when we went with Natalya to conduct a door-to-door patrol. In one apartment, a friendly pensioner opened the door, and we gave her a brochure with information on how not to fall for phone scammers.
In another apartment, more like a den, where dirty clothes are scattered on the floor and an unknown drunk man is sleeping in the closet, a guy in a stretched-out alcoholic«s T-shirt met us. His mother is on the register for shoplifting and was supposed to go to a colony-settlement. But she»s evading the authorities.
Among residents, there are several myths about the work of a precinct officer. For example, that women aren«t hired for the service, or that they only work on call. Or that they are the first to respond to all corpses, regardless of whether it»s a crime or natural death.
On duty, they have to face quite gruesome crimes. For example, local police sometimes recall the «parachutist» — a guy who fell out of a window. Then they had to work at the scene in a pool of blood. Or they remember a woman who brutally dealt with her husband and then for several days «fed» him, pretending he was still alive.
«Yes, we go to all corpses without fail,» the police officer clarified. «The first to go is always the precinct officer. And they check what happened and how, then either an investigative-operational group is called, or they handle it on their own. We respond to all addresses, regardless of the circumstances.»
«In This Apartment Lives a Drug Addict, There — a Violent One»
Natalya Sakanyan said that most often, residents come to the precinct officer to talk about family squabbles.
«It«s conflicts in the family, conflicts with neighbors. As a rule, not all our neighbors are good. Victims of phone scammers come. Of course, there are many appeals, but we try to help everyone,» the precinct officer said.
Dozens of residents come to the precinct officer every day. And they remember almost every one and can even guess why they came to the police this time. From the outside, it might seem that the precinct officer keeps a special diary to remember each person«s history and case.
«No, we don«t keep a personal diary,» Natalya says with a smile. «Mostly, we know very well those who constantly apply. They often come to us and say that in this apartment lives a drug addict, there — a violent one, do something about it.»
At the same time, Natalya is in no hurry to share details about her work with her loved ones. So as not to shock her mom, she tries not to talk about dangerous cases on duty.
«Usually I tell some more positive stories, the others (not very good ones) I have to keep quiet about,» Natalya said. «The family worries a lot, so not always are loved ones happy. But still, they respect the position. My mom told me that I finally found myself in this job. She worries about me the most, but always proudly tells something to acquaintances.»
What Else to Read:
Former MUR Investigator Dmitry Mironov on Catching Dangerous Criminals and Serial Killers in Moscow in the 2000s;
The Big Story of Operation «Blue Orchid» Which Uncovered One of the Largest International Porn Networks;
The Case of the Zyuzino Maniac. How a Technical School Teacher Killed Men in Front of Dozens of Muscovites.
