printPublic Perception of Informing in Fighting Crime
Davidov S.I.
Dr. Sci. (Law), Prof., Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia davidov_ord@mail.ru
Dudko N.A.
Cand. Sci (Law), Assoc. Prof., Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia dudkona@yandex.ru
Petukhov E.N.
Dr. Sci. (Law), Head, Department of Criminal Procedure and Criminalistics, Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia petuchove@mail.ru
Davidov S.I., Dudko N.A., Petukhov E.N. Public Perception of Informing in Fighting Crime. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 3. P. 123-129
This paper presents the results of an empirical study examining Russian public perceptions of informing in the fight against crime. It offers data demonstrating contradictory attitude towards informing among representatives of various population groups ranging from support to complete rejection. Over 85% of academic experts believe that citizens are ready to inform law enforcement agencies about crimes, but they are constrained by public condemnation of such actions. Among police officers surveyed, the dominant opinion (86%) is that society features a negative attitude towards informing. Almost twothirds of police officers consider it as a necessary method of combating crime, but at the same time informing does not fully comply with generally accepted moral standards. Sociological surveys conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) indicate that citizens’ readiness to inform authorities does not extend to all offenses. The authors express the opinion on the need to conduct active explanatory work among the population to perceive the citizens’ cooperation of with law enforcement agencies as a socially useful and socially encouraged type of activity.
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