What consultants does the Russian Investigation Committee need?

已發表 24 12, 2010 作者 CEO

Last week, the Department of Economic Security (DES) of the Interior Ministry held a meting of the department’s heads with bloggers. The meeting discussed how web users can help in the fight against corruption. The subject is extremely urgent and relevant, especially considering the fact that many governmental institutions are increasingly turning to web users for assistance. In summer 2010 the Investigation Committee (IC) of the Russian Prosecutor's Office announced that a new structure - freelance coaches / consultants - was established. The IC website published information that "any citizen of Russia, who previously worked in the investigative agencies and has extensive experience in investigative or forensic activities may become a coach / consultant".
Roman Romachev, a former FSB officer and head of Russian intelligence bureau R-Techno, was offered to become a freelance consultant because the IC officials have known him for ages as an expert on security and an active blogger, who applies economic intelligence techniques.

In the summer of 2010 the head of R-Techno became the first Russian citizen who responded to the address of the International police: assist in the hunt for criminals on the Internet. It took Romachev 4 hours to find in a popular social network - Odnoklassniki.ru - 8 persons, whose names were in the database of the Interpol, the Financial Police of Kazakhstan and the State Security Committee of Belarus. This story quickly became the news on the media - in the first place because the law enforcement officials did not appreciate the help of the intelligence man. Romachev learned that being an "individual" he had no right to such a civic initiative, and could "apply to the National Bureau of Interpol only through regional offices of the Interior of the Russian Federation". Aware of the total discrepancy between the idea of the International police force and the reluctance of the Moscow bureau to implement it in practice, Romachev freely talked about this in his interviews. Eventually, in September, the National Central Bureau of Interpol issued a statement that it was ready not only to accept assistance from web users but also award them.
Roman Romachev sent his CV to the HR dept of the Investigative Committee and was waiting for an answer for a long time. Literally ten days ago, after nearly two months of waiting, he received the answer that the Investigative Committee did not need his advice. It is not clear what this decision was based on, because Romachev advise his colleagues from IC for free long before the idea to establish freelance consultants institution was announced.
Roman applies the methods of business intelligence on the Internet - this technology might be useful for the Investigation Committee, could facilitate crime detection and reduce time spent on investigations. In other countries, business intelligence professionals effectively cooperate with the government. Typically, their services are not free but for a very substantial fee. Their area of competence covers the widest range of issues: from the investigation of financial crimes to hunting for criminals.
 
However, the Investigation Committee, apparently, doesn’t need the new technologies applied in the investigation of crimes. Yet, according to Kommersant daily, it needs the people who can (a quote) "conduct individual educational work with the staff of investigative bodies", which looks not like building a major structure but image-making.

Unlike Russia, in the CIS and foreign countries services of Romachev’s company are in demand. In particular, it is Kazakhstan's financial police, whom Romachev helped find criminals in the social networks. Also, in the last month R-Techno signed two international partnership agreements with intelligence agencies of Norway and Brazil, thereby increasing an effective network of its offices, which are already available in Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Italy.

Source: http://smi2.ru/m_volkova/c448156/?noreply=true