Theft of Funds from Cash Desks and Other Storage Facilities of Organizations and Institutions in the Irkutsk Region (1960–1980s). Historical Aspect

The article describes some of the reasons and conditions for the increase in the number of criminal attacks on money stored in institutions, organizations, cash desks of enterprises in the USSR during the 1960s–1980s. In addition, measures taken by the state and positive examples of countering this type of crime at this historical stage are given. The period under review in the country is characterized by a significant increase in industrial production, labor migration and urbanization. The highest growth rates of production volumes (3–5 times higher than the average for the USSR) were observed in 1960–1970 in the East Siberian region. These facts contributed to the rapid growth of large cities and were accompanied by the involvement of a significant number of workers, including those held in prisons. These factors, along with the ever-increasing volume of money supply and the humanization of Soviet criminal legislation, contributed to a significant increase in crime in the region, including criminal encroachments on cash storage facilities. The regulatory legal acts of the USSR of the period under review aimed at ensuring the safety of funds are analyzed. The article also provides summarized data on the typical methods of committing the crimes in question, as well as measures to counter this kind of crime by law enforcement agencies. The empirical material of the study includes previously unpublished historical documents affecting the activities of the Irkutsk police in the area under consideration. Analysis of the content of the presented sources allows us to conclude that there are effective methods of countering crime of the species in question in a difficult operational situation. This is evidenced by the positive examples of the activities of representatives of law enforcement agencies given in the article. This kind of professional behavior, in the context of corporate measures taken by the political leadership of the country and the regional administration, can fully serve as a positive model for modern law enforcement agencies, the scope of professional duties includes the disclosure and investigation of property crimes.