OREANDA-NEWS. The State Duma at a meeting on Wednesday, December 8, supported in the third, final reading a resonant bill on expanding the powers of the police, which establishes, among other things, a list of grounds on which police officers will be able to open cars.

Amendments to the law «On Police» were introduced by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation to the State Duma in May 2020. Police officers will have the authority to enter residential and other premises, land plots and territories for detention, as well as to cordon off buildings, residential premises and territories (in the current legislation — only areas of terrain). In addition, law enforcement officers may present themselves to the detainee after the termination of his illegal actions.

The Law «On Police» is supplemented by Article 15.1 «Vehicle autopsy»: a policeman can open a car and get into it to save lives and ensure the safety of citizens or public safety during mass riots and emergencies, to detain suspects or accused. Also, the police will have the right to open the car at the threat of a terrorist attack, to detain citizens whom the victims or eyewitnesses indicate as having committed a crime, to suppress the crime.

The powers of a law enforcement officer to conduct an inspection of citizens, their personal belongings and transport are prescribed not only in the possible presence of weapons, drugs and other prohibited substances, but also if there are grounds to believe that they are «hiding objects of theft». The right of a police officer to «designate by available means, including visual ones», and temporarily protect the venues of public and mass events is secured.

In the second reading, a number of resonant provisions were removed from the document, including the right of a police officer to use firearms when a detainee attempts to commit actions that can be regarded as a threat of attack, such a norm was contained in the original version of the bill. In addition, in the second reading, the norms were excluded that police officers should not be prosecuted for actions committed during execution if they were carried out reasonably and in accordance with the procedure established by law, as well as that a police officer «is not responsible for harm caused to citizens and organizations during the autopsy of a vehicle» if the autopsy was conducted legally.