MOSCOW. Dec 28 (Interfax) - The process of the renewal of interior bodies will continue, President Vladimir Putin has said.
"In the next few years we will continue the process of renewing the Interior Ministry. It is our objective to build a modern and effective system of interior bodies," he said at a Friday ceremony in the Kremlin that presented high-ranking officers taking new positions.
He reminded the meeting that in 2012 the Interior Ministry budget was almost doubled and urged the police to use new opportunities "to guarantee effective resistance to crime, extremism and corruption, to increase the effectiveness of territorial divisions which people contact most often."
Addressing officers of the Emergency Situations' Ministry, Putin recalled the flood in Krymsk. "The tragedy in Krymsk demonstrated that the effectiveness of the distress alarm system must be increased and questions of guaranteeing security approached comprehensively," he said.
He noted that thanks to the efforts of the ministry, the number of fires declined in the outgoing year, new rescue technologies were actively introduced and equipment for rapid response units was upgraded.
Speaking of the tasks of drug control bodies, officers of which were also present at the ceremony, Putin said that in March 2013 the anti-drug service will mark its 10th anniversary and urged its officers to neutralize drug trafficking and actively campaign against drug addiction among young people.