Novonikolayevsk City Police Department
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Novonikolayevsk City Police Department (NGPU) was a law enforcement organization in Novonikolayevsk, Russian Empire, that existed from 1903 to 1917.
The police department was established in 1903 after Novonikolayevsk was granted city status. The organization controlled three parts (uchastki) of the city: Tsentralny, Vokzalny and Zakamensky, each of which had two subdivisions (okolotki).[1]
At first, the police department rented premises, as it did not have its own building. The office of the court bailiff Arseny Yershov was located in the Teterin House on Barnaulskaya Street and the city bailiff occupied the Nazarov House on Tobizenovskaya Street. Later, the police department got its own building on Barnaulskaya Street. The state-owned apartment of the chief of police (politsmeister) was located in the same place.[2]
In 1907, by order of the Governor of Tomsk Governorate, the extradepartmental night guard with free hired workers was organized.[1]
According to the norms of that time, there should have been one low-ranked policeman (gorodovoy) for 400–500 people, however, as in many cities of the Russian Empire, these rules were not respected. In 1910–1911, the staff of the NGPU consisted of only 33 mounted and 15 unmounted low ranked police officers while the number of Novonikolayevsk residents was about 60 000.[1]
The police of Novonikolayevsk, as well as throughout the Russian Empire, was also involved in activities that were not related to criminality. For example, in 1911, it monitored the planting of trees by city residents near their households; in 1915–1917, the commission for the requisition of butter and meat for the army led by police chief G. P. Bukhartovsky operated in the city.[1][3]
In 1916–1917, the detective department (Ugolovny rozysk) was created..[1]
After the 1917 February Revolution, the NGPU was liquidated, and police functions were transferred to the city militsiya which was controlled by the Novonikolayevsk Duma..[1]