"hotbed of corruption and bad practice", could not have said it better myself. The reasons why it is so are far too many, amongst them laughably low wages, "dedovshina" (bullying by older students) already in the MVD-schools (ministry of interior), absolute lack of any ethical conduct in some cases and general moral values of being a guard dog with a gun rather than an actual policeman. Also, from the perestroika times until late in the century and even today a lot of criminals depend or depended on police "cover" to do whatever that is they are or were doing. The name "militia" does not mean any different from "police", it`s like Blackwater changing to XE. It was not without any good reason that Russia has more "security agencies" than homeless dogs, because the police would in all too many cases be undependable. I wish them the best in reforming the police, but as in many other cases that entirely depends on exactly how much the government wants it to happen.