Police chiefs are rolling out incentives and opportunities for cops on the Red Square beat to study English, a skill that will certainly win applause from the hordes of tourists that throng the area.
Police officers patrolling the square and Moscow's other pedestrian areas will receive additional pay if they can master phrases in English, Moscow City police chief Anatoly Yakunin said Thursday.
"It's our principled position, and we will definitely do this in the course of the year," he said, Interfax reported.
Yakunin said the opportunity to develop multilingual police officers appeared after acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin allotted a separate budget for police bonuses in a decree Tuesday.
The city police force is on the lookout for English-speaking officers to staff the downtown precincts, Yakunin said. It is also considering offering language courses.
"It's a must that we post officers who speak foreign languages to the central district's pedestrian areas in the span of a year," he said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
