On February 23, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Over one hundred residents of the Vitebsk region received honorary diplomas from the Internal Affairs Directorate and cash bonuses in 2011 for assisting in the detection of crimes, the Information and Public Relations Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee told a BELTA correspondent. On Defender of the Fatherland Day, a traditional award ceremony for the "Civil Courage" prize was held in Vitebsk. This time, its laureates were four people who did not remain indifferent to the misfortune of others, who were not afraid to confront criminals and thus provided invaluable assistance to law enforcement officers. Among the awardees was former physical education teacher Nikolai Martynenko, who detained two street robbers who snatched a bag from a man's hands. Together with him, Svetlana Averchenkova, a janitor from the village of Ruba, received an award. She saw a thief carrying a TV out of a house where the owners were absent. The elderly woman not only called the police but also managed to detain the criminal herself. A worthy succession is growing from the older generation, and the act of two seventh-grade friends from Vitebsk Secondary School No. 17, Vasilisa Barkovskaya and Kristina Starannik, is proof of this. The girls saw an old woman lying on the road and ran to help her. She told them that a robber had attacked her and pointed out where he had run. The girls followed him and noticed a suspicious man who suddenly stopped in the middle of the park to count money. Then they pointed out this man to the patrol officers, and they were not mistaken - it was he who had robbed the pensioner. All laureates of the "Civil Courage" prize received valuable gifts. The assistance provided by citizens to police officers is invaluable, not only because it helps to solve crimes while they are hot, but also because it demonstrates people's trust in law enforcement agencies, the Internal Affairs Directorate emphasized. -0-

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