Criminal Investigation Work of the Internal Affairs Bodies in 1917–1927 (Based on the Materials of the Central Chernozem Region)

Introduction. The article is devoted to the daily activities of the Soviet Criminal Investigation Department and the problems of organizational and technical difficulties at the stage of the formation of the service. The work reflects the service features in which it was necessary to serve, the level of use of scientific and technical means. Methods and materials. The research is based on the historical and systematic method, with the help of which the complex of professional duties of search agents was considered. Using the historical and genetic method, the changes in the daily activities of the service are considered. During the preparation of the study, archival materials were used, which are stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the State Archive of the Tambov Region, the State Archive of Socio-Political History of the Tambov Region, the State Archive of the Voronezh Region, and the State Archive of the Lipetsk Region. Analysis. In the early years of Soviet power, criminal investigation units occupied an autonomous position in the internal affairs bodies, engaged in the identification and disclosure of a wide variety of crimes, from banditry to moonshine. Mainly serious and especially serious crimes were dealt with. Results. Several key problems can be identified in the activities of the search: low material security, a small number and unpreparedness of the staff, limited opportunities for the use of scientific methods of work, and insufficiently developed mechanisms for delineating the powers of the police and the search.