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Russian president wants to rename Interior Ministry forces

06 August 2010 18:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday proposed changing the name of Russia’s Interior Ministry forces from "militia" to "police", APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website

Medvedev submitted his proposal during a meeting where amendments to the law about militia were being discussed.

"I suppose it’s time to return the police its name," the president said. "And we need professionals who work efficiently and honestly."

He said the name "militia" carries an image of nonprofessional people’s brigades.

Many lawmakers welcome the president’s initiative, noting that changing the name of the law enforcement troops would change the nature of their duties and even their behavior.

The deputy head of the ruling United Russia party, Valery Ryazansky, told RIA Novosti that the State Duma would discuss Medvedev’s proposal after the parliament re-convened in the fall.

Another member of the Duma, Communist Viktor Ilyukhin, noted that when the militia had been created after the October Revolution in 1917, it had a completely different nature and objectives.

"It was workers and peasants armed watches then. Now the militia’s tasks are much wider," he said.

Experts agree that the name "militia" became obsolete long ago and must be used in an historical context only.