Taking into account the peculiarities of escapes by suspects and accused of committing crimes during the professional training of police officers in the basics of security and convoy service.

Soloveichik Maksim Vyacheslavovich PhD in Pedagogy Associate Professor of the Department of Organization of Police Work, St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia 192283, Russia, Saint Petersburg region, Saint Petersburg, Pilutova str., 1, room 410 soloveychik1977@gmail.com Other publications by this author

The list of police duties, in accordance with Federal Law No. 3 "On the Police", includes one of the most important and demanded by society - activities for the protection and escort of suspects and accused of committing a crime.

It should be noted that the peculiarities of modern crime necessitate the need to strengthen work to ensure reliable isolation of persons detained during escorting.

Being a part of Russian society, the police cannot be free from the phenomena and processes that occur in it. One of them is the problem of escapes by suspects and accused when escorted by employees of the security and convoy service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Escape in this case is defined as exclusively active actions of suspects and accused persons on unauthorized, illegal leaving of the place of detention or the escort route.^[1]

Escapes are of a socially dangerous nature, which consists in making it impossible to conduct a preliminary investigation and judicial review of a case if a person is in custody as a preventive measure, i.e. the interests of justice are harmed. ^[1]

The public danger of escape also lies in the fact that the escaped person goes to an illegal position. Having no documents and sufficient means for a normal life, he, as a rule, returns to criminal activity, and not only commits new crimes himself, but also involves morally unstable people in them, and causes great grief to many citizens.^[1]

In addition, every escape, especially not liquidated, is an illegal example for other suspects and accused.

Escapes are committed, as a rule, as a result of existing shortcomings and omissions in the organization of protection and escorting, the unfair attitude of the convoy staff to the performance of their official duties.

         In this regard, professional training of police officers to act with possible tricks of suspects and accused during the escape is relevant from the author's point of view.

To achieve this goal, the article shows practical examples of tricks, as well as the conditions and methods of escaping from under the protection and escorting suspects and accused, identified during the study of the materials of the official activities of the security and convoy units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as in the analysis of some works of the scientific community.

The results of the analysis will be relevant for the preparation and conduct of classes with employees of the internal affairs bodies involved in the performance of security and escort tasks.

         It should be noted that the issue of the preparedness of police officers carrying out security and escorting to the possible facts of the escape of suspects and accused has been repeatedly raised in the scientific community and in the organization of the activities of the security and convoy units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Garmanov V. M. notes that certain violations committed by officials and served as a condition for the escape, not only contradict the requirements concerning the organization of service, but also pose a threat to the legitimate interests of other persons.^[1]

And N.K. Kustova believes that the tactics of guarding and escorting suspects and accused of committing crimes depends on the level of preparedness of a set of measures aimed at their proper organization to exclude factors contributing to the commission of escapes and other emergencies.^[2]

Sinitsyn E.I. and Gorlov O.Yu. in their work pay attention to the low motivation of employees of the security and convoy service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, aimed at improving their professional knowledge, skills and abilities. ^[3]

In another study, the authors show that the slightest deviation of the employees of the security and escort service from the basic provisions governing the organization and the order of its service can lead to significant negative consequences. ^[4]

         The authors agree that the guarantee of the absence of escapes, on the part of suspects and accused, in the practical activities of the security and escort service, can only be a clear fulfillment by its employees of the requirements of regulatory legal acts, as well as the improvement of service skills, the ability to recognize the tricks used to commit escapes, timely and skillfully contrasting these tricks with the inevitable sanction of the law.

At the same time, N.V. Chepik notes that in theoretical and methodological developments devoted to the topic of suppressing escapes by employees of the security and convoy service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, there are different approaches to characterizing the causes and conditions of escapes, as well as ways of their commission, but there is no completeness of data on the conditions of the run.^[5]

         For high-quality training of employees of the security and convoy service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in order to exclude the facts of escapes of suspects and accused under escort, it is advisable to use knowledge about the tricks of suspects and accused in preparing escapes, using the materials of reviews of the performance of these units, based on the facts of real cases of successful or suppressed escapes.

According to the author, it is advisable to study the tricks in the system of various types of training: professional, secondary special or higher departmental, in the system of service training. The main thing is to exclude the formal approach!

The lesson on the study of the tricks of suspects and accused will achieve effectiveness if it is conducted on one of the routes of the unit's escort. At the same time, the attention of the trainees will be drawn to vulnerable places where an escape can be made.

Thus, according to Medvedeva M.V., Bykova L.V., a modular immersion will be carried out, which allows for a holistic perception of the educational material.^[6]

         Now, in order to immerse ourselves in the reality of practice, we will consider the main types of tricks of suspects and accused in organizing and preparing escapes in order to form recommendations necessary to ensure the safety of daily security and escort activities.

This article does not cover all the tricks used by suspects and accused of committing a crime in organizing escapes, because new ways of escape are being invented over time. However, the beginning of the study of this phenomenon in the system of service training and professional training of employees of the security and convoy units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia should be laid.

Strange as it may seem, one of the leading places is occupied by escapes using weapons or objects that can be used as such.

These escapes are the most dangerous, they are accompanied by violence and can cause casualties on the part of the convoy staff and citizens. Weapons may end up in the hands of criminals as a result of the negligence of employees while on duty, an attack on the personnel of the convoy, as a result of off-duty connections or simple bribery of employees with escorted persons or their relatives or acquaintances. Often such cases can be accompanied by hostage-taking.

For example, on the first of August 2017, five defendants from the well-known "GTA gang", while escorting to the Moscow Regional Court, while in an elevator with two escorts, attacked them, were able to free themselves and take possession of their service weapons, opened fire.

Or on April 19, 2021, in Novosibirsk, when the suspect was brought to court, the latter, threatening to sharpen one of the escorts, tried to escape.

A typical example can be considered the case that occurred on June 8, 2022 in Rostov, when the accused, brought to the jury, used a trip to the toilet to attack an employee of the convoy. He inflicted 16 blows to the neck with a sharpener, took away his service pistol and tried to escape, shooting back along the way. The suspect later said that he accidentally found it the day before, and on June 8, he just happened to have a chance to use it.

The desire of suspects and accused to gain confidence in the officials of the convoy and use their carelessness to realize their criminal intentions is also one of the types of tricks for organizing escape preparations.

One of them is a way when the escorts try to bribe the convoy staff to assist in making an escape or in hiding prohibited items.

Entering into trust, lulling the vigilance of personnel, providing any minor services to the convoy can lead to unpredictable consequences. No less severe damage to the interests of the service is caused by the release of escorted persons from custody, which indicates a direct betrayal on the part of the convoy.

So, in September 2020, in the Irkutsk region, the police, violating the order of escorting, delivered two convicted persons to a specially rented apartment for a personal meeting. The criminals, left without control, moved through an open window to the balcony of a neighboring apartment and disappeared unhindered. 

         And in the Sverdlovsk region, a criminal case was initiated against an employee of the security and escort unit, who kept narcotic substances with him for the purpose of their subsequent transfer in the convoy room of the court to a person suspected of committing a crime.

In the same year, 2020, on February 20, on the basis of operational information, inspection activities were carried out in the IVS of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. During the search, a cell phone, a smart watch, and a cell phone charger were found and seized in the IVS cell. An employee of the convoy was identified, who transferred the means of communication prohibited for storage in the IVS to the accused.

In Nakhodka, within the framework of the appointment provided, an employee personally took the accused out of the isolation ward and escorted him to a place unsuitable for a date – a training class of the escort service, where his roommate was waiting for him. At the same time, the means of restricting mobility were not applied to the accused, and monitoring of the meeting was carried out from the corridor through the open door of the room. Taking advantage of the weakening of control, the accused left the building unhindered through the window and disappeared.

And, of course, the cases of betrayal of the interests of the service, which have a corruption orientation, stand out especially vividly.

For example, a criminal case has been initiated against the head of one of the temporary detention facilities, who, for a reward, promised to assist in creating favorable conditions of detention.

It must be remembered that when escaping in this way, suspects and accused persons prepare by studying in advance those persons who have weaknesses and may be subject to bribery in order to escape. Such facts not only negatively affect the results of official activity, but also discredit the system of internal affairs bodies.

The next method of escape is an attack on the convoy staff, which can be carried out at all stages of service. In this case, firearms, edged weapons, as well as objects that can be harmful to health can be used.

          Taking advantage of insufficient control during the convoy, poor-quality search at the reception, suspects and accused can even make cold and firearms and use them when attacking the convoy.

So, on December 15, 2021, after the verdict was announced, the defendant in the city court injured two police officers who were escorting with a metal object. After the attack, the man ran out of the courthouse and was detained.

Taking advantage of the incorrect and inept actions of the convoy employees when opening the chamber doors of vehicles, they can commit attacks on the employee disembarking the escorted as described earlier in the situation in Novosibirsk.

In such cases, criminals use the surprise factor, improvised means (things and personal items), sharpening, disposable blades, etc. They may try to provoke the convoy to illegal actions.

 For example, in January 2020, a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 15 years, who was in the cell of the convoy room of the Novokuznetsk district court, appealed to the head of the convoy about taking him to the toilet room. The police officer neglected special means, as a result of which the escorted, using force, took possession of the keys, opened the door of the escort room and disappeared through the service exit.

When stopping escapes using vehicle malfunctions, it must be remembered that in a special escort vehicle, the most vulnerable place that makes it possible to escape is the ventilation hole. Suspects and accused, taking advantage of the lack of control on the part of the convoy, can use it to carry out an escape.

 So, in the Shchelkovsky district of the Moscow region on August 8, 2013, the suspects and the accused secretly left a special car in this way when the car was moving along the Moscow Ring Road. It is noteworthy that the attackers left the special car in a dense stream of cars at 11.00. on the specified date. And on the evening of August 6 of the same year, a 17-year-old citizen of Tajikistan, arrested by the court for theft and robbery, escaped in the same way in the city of Yegoryevsk, Moscow region.

Such escapes occur with the use of improvised means, various prohibited items that were not found during the search, or its absence, can be used to commit them.

It must be remembered that one of the most important moments in the escort service is boarding vehicles. Violation of the rules of boarding and inspection of transport can be one of the main reasons for this type of escape during escorting.

In the scientific literature and in the practical activities of the security and convoy service, the commission of escape on a "jerk" is highlighted. ^[9]

This type of escape occurs, as a rule, in conditions when the convoy employees violate the requirements of the security and escort service. In such circumstances, the escapees hope that the surprise factor will contribute to the realization of their criminal intentions.

So, on March 4, 2020, two escaped from the IVS chamber of the OMVD of Russia in the Onega district. The day before, the suspects, covering the camera lens with a towel, tore out the window grate, entered the courtyard of the IVS and disappeared through the outer fence.^[9]

When escorting on foot, the escorted choose the right moment to escape to "jerk" in crowded places or use various terrain and industrial buildings for this purpose.

This happened in the Khabarovsk Territory, when, during the withdrawal from an official passenger car, he escaped, delivered for investigative actions. Escorting was carried out by only one employee, who was part of the reserve convoy.

The essence of the tricks used when escorting on foot is to disrupt the normal operation of the convoy both on foot and when escorting on transport. There may be cases when escorts simulate a sudden acute illness, while using temporary confusion of the convoy, to which the suspects may make illegal requests.

So, on July 21, 2020, a person was allowed to escape in the Krasnodar Territory, escorted by employees of a freelance convoy and an intern, who, at the request of the detainee, took him home before the IVS was installed, from where the latter, left in an apartment without supervision, escaped.

     The given examples of incidents allow us to build an approximate scheme of preparation and execution of escape by escorted persons:

- preliminary collusion and preparation for escape;

- study by escorted persons of the security and escort service employees, the nature of their behavior in the service, psychological and moral qualities, identification of weaknesses;

- study of weak elements in the security system and the organization of the escort service;

- bribing employees, inducing employees to have relationships for a fee, promises or threats of physical violence, inducing them to drink alcohol together;

- the commission of an attack on a convoy at the most convenient time for this, for example, when the vigilance of employees is weakened.

Analyzing the causes, conditions, and methods of escapes, it should be noted:

- violation of the organization and performance of the security and escort service;

- weakening of control over the security and escort service;

- poor-quality selection, reception and work with personnel of escort units and as a result - violations of the rule of law, official discipline by employees, off-duty communications with escorted persons;

- involvement of persons who do not have experience of service in escort units, who are poorly aware of the requirements of regulations governing the escort service, to serve in the guards;

- low level of professional training, and hence - poor training of employees in the order and rules of service, readiness to act in case of a complication of the situation. ^[10]

Every employee of the escort unit should remember that any tricks and criminal intentions will be promptly stopped by those personnel who serve vigilantly and skillfully.

It must be remembered that any tricks will be solved and stopped in a timely manner if employees are vigilant, brave and determined.

As rightly noted by representatives of the staff of the Tyumen Institute for Advanced Training of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, on the basis of the developed standard training situations, legitimate actions of police officers aimed at suppressing escapes among suspects and accused should be practiced.

At the same time, situations should be based on practical activity materials, the study of which is advisable in order to ensure the professional training of police officers and should be aimed at:

     - study of optimal methods of protection of escorted persons;

     - study of escape methods;

     - the ability to recognize preparations for escape or attack;

     - the ability to act in a difficult situation, in case of emergencies in isolation from places of permanent deployment in small groups;

     - practicing techniques of fighting, binding, the use of special means, possession of weapons.

          In this regard, it is important to plan and conduct joint classes, seminars, meetings, trainings and exercises together with law enforcement agencies interested in performing escort functions.

During the organization of escorting and when performing official tasks, special attention should be paid to previously convicted persons who have committed escapes or attacks; members of organized groups, etc.

In order for the situation with the escapes of suspects and accused from under escort to be brought under control, it is necessary to carry out a high-quality selection of personnel taking into account the nature and conditions of the tasks performed, preventing trainees and persons who have not undergone special professional training from serving independently. ^[11]

The security and escort units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia must once and for all exclude from their activities the participation of incomplete convoy squads that ensure the escort of suspects and accused of committing serious and especially serious crimes, as well as previously convicted persons. ^[12]

When carrying out security and escort measures, employees have a high risk of becoming a victim of routine service. In order to exclude such facts at briefings and when summing up the results of the official activities of the security and convoy units on a permanent basis, it is necessary to carry out work aimed at forming vigilance, integrity, readiness to act in emergency circumstances and the inadmissibility of off-duty relations with the protected escorted persons. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the experience of countering attempts to commit escapes in order to form effective methods of carrying out security and convoy service.