Public Control as a Tool for Combating Crime

The article is devoted to the analysis of the place and role of the institution of public control in the system of tools to combat crime. This institution of civil society is analyzed as the most important legal guarantee for the implementation, protection and defense of the system of constitutional principles in Russia, as well as the system of human and civil rights and freedoms, the rights and legitimate interests of numerous public associations and other non-governmental non-profit organizations. The authors substantiate the importance of the institution of public control in the Russian Federation as a tool for the prevention and suppression of crimes. At the same time, the role of this institution of civil society is particularly highlighted as a tool in the fight against corruption and other crimes committed by officials of public authorities, state and municipal organizations, and other bodies and organizations that exercise certain public powers on the basis of federal laws. The article formalizes and explores the main problems that impede the use of the institution of public control in the fight against crime in the Russian Federation, in particular due to: the lack of mention of this institution of civil society in the Basic Law of Russia; imperfect legislation on public control; weak powers of its subjects; removing from the scope of the Federal Law of dated of 21.06.2014 № 212-FL “On the Fundamentals of Public Control in the Russian Federation” the activities, acts and decisions of the majority of Russian law enforcement agencies, as well as types of public relations where there is a high crime rate; weak funding from the budgets of all levels of activities of subjects of public control; weak use of positive foreign experience of civil society institutions in the fight against crime; insufficient use of modern information and communication technologies. The authors have developed and justified a system of measures to resolve these problems, including by: incorporating public control into the Constitution of Russia; developing a system of federal laws devoted to the organization and implementation of public control in relation to the activities, acts and decisions of the country's law enforcement agencies; expanding the powers of subjects of public control; active use of foreign positive experience of civil society participation in the fight against crime; development of a system of federal programs for organizational, legal, financial, technical support for the institution of public control in Russia.