Law Enforcement
The law enforcement body in the Republic of Novegrad is known as the milícia (милиця). This dates from the early Soviet era, when the tsarist guard was replaced by the "Workers' and Peasants' Militia". Individual officers are called milidzánji (singular milidzáne) or by their rank.
The milícia is not a civilian agency, but is a semi-military department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or MND. Unlike much of the rest of Europe, there is no civilian agency responsible for policing. All milidzánji have ranks identical to those used in the Army, with each regional branch headed by a Milícia-General. Ranks are reflected in the insignia on milícia uniforms.
The milícia is divided into many regional departments of different sizes, ranging from the national level down to the city or district level. The bottom levels further subdivide their districts into ókragi (singular ókrage), districts of generally around a thousand families, although in dense cities this can be much higher. An officer is assigned to each district, where he is supposed to remain in contact with the community and know personally every high-risk resident, including former convicts, substance abusers, sex offenders, and hooligans. They are responsible for monitoring these individuals and dealing with smaller issues such as noise, violence, and other domestic disturbances. They are given a small office within their district where they can be contacted by the community. However, in more serious cases (including all arrests), the matter must be dealt with through the central office of the milícia district and not by the ókrage officer. All arrestees, for example, must be taken to a central station.
Milidzánji all carry firearms, although their usage is greatly restricted, so they are rarely used except in emergencies. They may not carry firearms while off-duty.
When there is a greater need of milidzánji than is available, they may be temporarily conscripted from the army. These conscripts generally carry out basic security functions and carry no firearms.
Novegrad also has a separate gendarmerie force, though also falling under the control of the MND, known as the Internal Troops. They are responsible in case of riots or large-scale violence, and also are the main security force at prisons and high-security government facilities. In case of a national crisis, the Ministry of Defense can assume direct control over them.