C. Criminal justice in Great Britain

The Government's strategy for dealing with crime is to sustain the rule of law by preventing crime where possible; to detect culprits when crimes are commited; to commit the guilty and acquit the innocent; to deal firmly, adequately and sensibly with those found guilty; and to provide more effective support for the victims of crime. It is also concerned with ensuring that public confidence in the criminal justice system is maintained and that a proper balance between the rights of the citizen and the needs of community as a whole is maintained.

With continuing concern in Britain, as in many other countries, over rising crime rates, public expenditure on law and order programme reflects the special priority given by the Government to these services. Recent increases have been made to cover, in particular, greater police manpower, the probation service and extra spending on prison building. More than two-thirds of total expenditure is initially incurred by local authorities (with the help of central government grants), mainly on the police service.

A number of measures to strengthen the criminal justice system have been taken. The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 provides for the pre-trial freezing of suspected drug trafficker's assets, backed up on conviction by immediate confiscation of the assets to the value of the proceeds of the crime; similar provisions are included in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987. The Public Order Act 1986 codifies the common law offences of riot, unlawful assembly and affray; enhances the powers of the police to control public processions and assemblies likely to result in serious disorder or disruption; strengethens the law against incitement to racial hatred; and provides additional powers to combat football hooliganism. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1987 a Serious Fraud Office with wide powers to investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was established in 1988.

D. Crime in Russia is present in various forms. Organized crime include drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, extortion, murder for hire, fraud etc. Many criminal operations engage in corruption, black marketeering, terrorism, abduction etc. Other forms of crime perpetrated by criminal groups are arms trafficking, export of contraband oil and metals, and smuggling of radioactive substances.

In 1997, approximately 8,000 criminal formations operated in the country.^[In 2000 it was estimated that nearly 50% of the nation's economy was linked with organized crime.

The crime rate in Russia is rapidly decreasing. For example, the homicide rate dropped from 31,553 in 2004 down to 11,500 in 2011, an almost threefold decrease.

In Russia's criminal legislation, "corruption" is not defined as a specific crime, but a collective term which include bribery, abuse of office and others.^[ It is accepted in both inside and outside the country that corruption is widespread in Russia. Corruption is often considered as a major factor behind economic problems in the nation. According to a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 1997, the Commonwealth of Independent States was the most corrupt region in the world, with Russia (along with the other four CIS countries surveyed) received the maximum rating for corruption among public officials. Corruption in the police force is a significant problem in the country. First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Vasilev claimed that 1,700 police persons were convicted of bribery or abuse of office in 2001 and the problem of corruption was under control. But according to most observers, in reality the level of police corruption is much higher and state officials like to downplay the problem of corruption.

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