| Abstrakt: |
The functioning of the Belarusian police during the Nazi occupation is considered in the present paper. Theoretically, the police are obliged to ensure public order and protect civilians, but unfortunately they often became an instrument of violence against them. From the very beginning of the occupation, looting civilians became everyday practice, sometimes under the pretext of fighting the guerrillas. This tendency was especially in rural areas, where armed police officers, being away from their detachment in the regional centre, could commit violence not only against ordinary citizens, but also against members of the grass-roots level collaborative administration. Such a behavior was due to the low motivation of police service, criminal records, low educational level, and the narrow political outlook of many police officers. The bulk of the Belarusian police was not an effective tool for the Germans in the fight against guerrillas, forcing the occupation authorities to use police battalions from the Baltic States and Ukraine on the territory of Belarus for this purpose. In public conscience, the police officer image entrenched as a criminal and a traitor, and in spite of the fact that the police led the fight against crime, this assessment holds true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
