Региональные архивные фонды о становлении полицейской службы в Курской губернии

Abstract

Effective functioning of law enforcement is one of key factors ensuring needs of person, society, and state and forming a physically secure environment for human life and activities. The efficiency of modern reforms of national law enforcement largely depends on integration of the accumulated experience of its discharge of functions. Therefore, studying the evolution of the Russian police service, especially at a regional level, has great significance. The least studied period is that of the establishment and organization of police service in subnational entities. Introduction of the documentary sources from regional archives into scientific use allows to fill the gap in studying the patterns of emerging legal status of police officials and their functional responsibilities throughout the gubernias of the Russian Empire during the 18th century. The article draws on materials from the State Archive of the Kursk Region, it assesses fonds and documents containing data on the efforts of central and local authorities to recruit staff and streamline the activities of institutions that discharged police functions, while the provincial government was being established. The article focuses on the regulation of status of rural police officers who were to enforce law compliance in the Kursk gubernia (which was mostly agrarian) and who were guarantors of rights and legitimate interests of the population. The sources show the spectrum of organizational and personnel problems faced by the local police in the performance of their official tasks. The author registers social significance of policing on voluntary basis. The materials reviewed in the article may be of use for writing general history of police and for further research of the subject.