The Formation, Organization and Activities of Extradepartmental Guards under the Internal Affairs Authorities of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region (1959-1992)

Specialized units under the internal affairs authorities, designed to protect objects and property, appeared in the USSR in the 1950s. Instead of security structures that were under the jurisdiction of various departments, Extradepartmental Guards was formed. In 1959 a department of Extradepartmental Guards was established on the territory of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region. Initially, there was only one officer with a rank in his staff. Subsequently, the guards, consisting of freelance watchmen, began to be replaced by professional paramilitary guards, and later by militia units. Service dogs and technical means were used to guard the facilities. In order to prevent thefts from protected objects, interaction was carried out with the militia detectives, district militia officers, firefighting units, voluntary citizen patrols and the public. Over time, the network of Extradepartmental Guards units and the range of services provided were expanded. All banking institutions, buildings of Soviet and Communist Party authorities, and storage sites for explosives were taken under guard. By the beginning of the 1990s, Extradepartmental Guards at the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region had a branched structure, which included a division, inter-district, district and specialized squads, a militia squadron, detention groups, centralized security points, Paramilitary Guards teams. Thus, Extradepartmental Guards personnel not only ensured the security of facilities, but also made a significant contribution to the protection of law and order in the Gorno-Altai Region.