Protection of public order and combating crime in the context of ideological control: a regional aspect (on the example of the Novosibirsk region, 1960–1980)

The article analyzes the contradictions between the official ideological picture and the real criminogenic situation in the Novosibirsk region of 1960–1980. The purpose of the study is to reconstruct the historical picture of public order protection and crime prevention in the Novosibirsk region in the 1960s and 1980s and to identify the specifics of the formation of the official picture of law and order in the conditions of ideological control of the late Soviet period. The tasks included a comparative analysis of internal documents of the police with official reports to the Central Committee of the CPSU, a quantitative assessment of crime dynamics and the identification of structural factors of legal disadvantage. The methodology is based on a systematic analysis of regional history using content analysis and source criticism of GANO archival materials. An increase in crime was found in the studied period (+27.8%), especially dangerous crime increased. Systemic problems have been identified: child neglect, recidivism, corruption in the police, low detection of serious crimes. At the same time, the official reports in the Central Committee of the CPSU presented an optimistic picture, ignoring the real problems. The study proves that ideological control led to a systemic distortion of information that prevented adequate decision-making. Attempts by the regional leadership to strengthen the police (petitions for an increase in the number of police and the creation of the Novosibirsk Department of Internal Affairs) were rejected by the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, which indicates a gap in understanding of the problem between the union and regional authorities. The originality of the work lies in the use of previously unpublished archival materials and the first regional analysis of the mechanisms of ideological control in the law enforcement sphere. The practical significance lies in the application of the results to analyze modern reporting systems and the risks of information distortion. The prospects of the research are to expand the analysis to other regions of Siberia and study the evolution of the law enforcement system in the 1980s.