Police Reform of 1862 in the Urals

Abstract

Introduction. The object of this study is the police reform of 1862. The subject is the course of its implementation in the Ural region. The purpose of the article is to analyze the transformations carried out in the general police of the Ural provinces in the 1860s. The geographical scope of the study is limited to Vyatka, Orenburg, and Perm provinces. Methods and materials. The modernization theory was chosen as an average level methodology. The methods of the research are historical-genetic, historical-comparative and historical-systemic. Besides, the discursive approach was chosen to understand the sources of the research better. Analysis. By the law of 1862, city police was united with county police under the authority of a single leader called county police officer. Only Vyatka, Orenburg, Perm, Ufa and Yekaterinburg retained independent city police. The police staff introduced by the law of 1862 was insufficient, primarily due to the liquidation of the police of the Ministry of Finance and the police of the Military Ministry in factory districts and mines. The real process of strengthening the Ural police lasted for years or even decades. The Mining Department tried to maintain some degree of control over the police in the region. Results. It was concluded that in the confrontation with the Mining Department for the full control over the police of the region, the provincial authorities managed to win an almost complete victory. At the same time the provincial authorities underestimated the need to professionalize the police, often giving preference to Cossack units.