Police Band Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia


The Police Band Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is the official police band service of the Police of Russia, a directly reporting agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The PBS-MIA-RF serves as the primary ceremonial music component of the Russian Police, which provides bands for each of the regional and city police departments that compose this institution, together with its educational and training establishments.

History and activities

The present-day Police Band Service is the heir and successor of the bands of the Imperial Police Department of Russia and traces its origins to 1918 when the bands of the Militsiya were founded by order of the then People's Commissar for Internal Affairs of the Russian SFSR, Grigory Petrovsky, who envisioned the Militsiya as a paramilitary people's national police mandated to protect the law and public security in the young republic and the bands stated to be the primary musical unit for ceremonial activities involving the service and thus were to be modeled primarily on the military bands of the then Red Army and the Soviet Navy. In January 2009, Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev approved an order which allowed pupils of music schools to join military band in the MVD. The present form of the bands was assumed in 2011 as part of the Russian police reform, which brought the police services in line with those of other countries in the world.
Currently, the police bands of the MVD take part in similar events that are conducted by the bands of the armed forces. The municipal bands commonly take part in the funeral ceremonies of police officers at the police departments. Its personnel are made up of sworn officers and agents who are trained in both military and civil music schools and conservatories.

Composition

The Bands of City Police Directorates, such as the Moscow Police Band, are provided by the Cultural Center of that specific directorate.

Band of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan

The Band of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan was established in 1995 under Captain Marat Kadyrov. On 17 April 1996, the first performance of the band took place in front of employees of the Ministry. In 2000, the orchestra participated in the international festival of brass bands in France, giving concerts in 16 French cities. It is one of the leading military brass bands not only in Kazan and the republic, but also in the entire Volga Federal District.

Band of the Altai Krai Police

The Band of the Altai Krai Police was organized in May 1999. At that time, members of the military band of the Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots formed the basis of the ensemble, which was under the direction Captain Ivan Sursyakov. In 2002, the band toured the entire Altai Krai with a concert program dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the MVD. In 2003, the band was attached to the Cultural Centre under the Main Directorate and has since 2007 been directed by Vladimir Lozin. In 2012, the band won the "Silver Tunes of Fanfares" festival of Russian law enforcement agencies in Seversk.