The Russian Defense Ministry has not abandoned its plans to create a military police system and is currently studying foreign experience in the field, Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Tuesday.
"We are looking into the matter, but unfortunately we have not as yet found a setup that would be acceptable to us," he said.
"However, we are studying the experience of other countries where such structures have been created and are functioning effectively."
There have been reports in the media that the ministry had buried plans to create a military police force.
The idea of setting up military police units has been mooted for years, mainly in the context of brutal hazing and bullying practices in the Russian military.
In 2005, human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin wrote a special report about abuse in the armed forces and proposed measures including the creation of military police.
Military police are generally perceived as being responsible for policing military facilities, enforcing military discipline, and investigating crimes in the military. They should be independent of the military command.
Some experts are skeptical military police alone will be able to do much to stop abuse in the Russian Armed Forces without effective, far-reaching reforms, including the transition from a draft to a professional force, as well as the establishment of civil control over the military.
MOSCOW, April 20 (RIA Novosti)
