On the preservation of agricultural products during the sowing campaign in 2016

The harvesting campaign has commenced in the Vitebsk region. The state has allocated substantial funds for its execution, including fuel and lubricants, diesel fuel, reconstruction of agricultural product storage facilities, and the procurement of expensive equipment. The well-being of not only our region but the entire state depends on the results of the sowing campaign. However, many dishonest citizens seek to improve their well-being by misappropriating state funds and material assets allocated for the campaign. This year, 4 citizens in the Lepel district have been brought to administrative responsibility under Article 10.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus for the theft of state property from agricultural facilities.

Often, when committing theft, citizens do not consider the consequences.

Thus, Article 10.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus (petty theft) provides for a penalty in the form of a fine from 10 to 30 base units (up to 5.4 million rubles) or administrative arrest. If this offense is committed repeatedly within a year, the fine ranges from 30 to 50 base units or administrative arrest.

In addition, the court recovers the amount of material damage caused and the resulting harm (damage to property, equipment, downtime of working hours). This means that the amounts recovered by the court are many times greater than the profit obtained from the theft.

Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (theft) provides for imprisonment for up to 3 years, and up to 12 years with confiscation of property, depending on the amount of damage caused.

At the same time, the internal affairs bodies, together with representatives of agricultural organizations, the Lepel District Executive Committee, the District Department for Emergency Situations (ROCHS), and the Prosecutor's Office of the Lepel District, have organized mobile groups that conduct daily raids in the evening and at night to prevent the theft of agricultural products, material assets of agricultural organizations, fuel and lubricants, as well as to ensure compliance with labor discipline in the workplace.

The conducted monitoring of agricultural organizations has revealed frequent cases of agricultural machinery being left overnight in the yards of private residences or in field conditions without adequate security. This only facilitates the theft of fuel and lubricants, as well as equipment. In this regard, we would like to draw the attention of officials of agricultural organizations to the need to take measures to ensure the safety of agricultural machinery in use during nighttime in field conditions and to prevent instances of it being left in the yards of private homes.

Head of the Department of Public Order and Prevention
I.A. Mikhno