MOSCOW, July 7 (RAPSI) — The mechanisms of interaction between the authorities and volunteer search teams need to be made even more effective, the Russian Children Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova believes.

At the moment, an algorithm for interaction between the Interior Ministry, the Emergency Ministry and volunteer search teams is in place. It has been developed jointly with the said Ministries and the Investigative Committee; however, there is the question of its efficiency and how this efficiency can be improved, Kuznetsova said addressing the participants of the All-Russian Forum of Volunteer Search and Rescue Teams.

She cited as an example a situation that occurred in Yekaterinburg in December 2020, when information about children who disappeared from a social institution was received only two days later; as a result, volunteer search teams were able to find the children only on the third day after their disappearance, and the Investigative Committee did not receive any information at all.

For closer interaction, Kuznetsova suggested that the investigative agencies should authorize one of the officers each to work with volunteers.

Her Office proposes also that the Interior Ministry is to post contacts of officers appointed to interact with volunteers on its websites.

Kuznetsova lamented that maintenance and supply resource centers needed for search of missing persons were not created across all necessary locations.

The Children Ombudsman also raised the topic of additional measures aimed to tighten administrative supervision over people who have committed crimes against sexual inviolability, since there were registered repeated crimes of this nature and the number of such crimes has been on the rise since recently; Kuznetsova urged volunteers to join the implementation of the respective security strategy already in place in certain regions and develop their proposals in this sphere.

The Children Rights Commissioner also noted the importance of the work of the “Lisa Alert” unit and other units as to preventing missing of minors and teaching children safe behavior. In essence, this is about saving children before something happens to them, Kuznetsova said thanking the forum participants for their involvement.