Only 9% of respondents said they fully trusted police officers, with some 46% saying they were "inclined" to trust police. Some 9% are convinced that the work of police definitely benefits the society, while 41% of Russians believe it is likely to.
However, almost half of respondents (48%) say police fail to be of help in emergencies, and 22% said police officers are "somewhat" helpful.
The majority of respondents (67%) say they were not afraid of the police, but only 55% knew about human rights organizations to protect their interests in case of arbitrary treatment by officers.
A total of 75% of Russians mentioned police when asked to name law-enforcement structures, while only 61% are "quite" informed about its work. Prosecutors, courts and the Federal Security Service (FSB) were mentioned by 42%, 39% and 34% of Russians, respectively.
The opinion poll, involving a sample of 1,000 people in 92 Russian cities and towns, was conducted in December 2008. The margin of error is 3.4%.
