Public trust as a management resource in the system of internal affairs bodies

The object of the problem studied in the article is public trust in the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation. The subject of the study is public trust as a resource that police leaders can use in managerial activities to achieve the goals of the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. An interdisciplinary approach combining sociological science and management sciences is used as a research methodology. Systemic, structural-functional, and communication approaches and the theory of resource dependence have made it possible to comprehensively consider the key role of a public trust resource in improving the effectiveness of the police. The article notes that the system of internal affairs bodies consists of organizations characterized by the presence of a management structure and coordinated actions of people focused on achieving a common goal. Turning to the theory of resource dependence, the author notes that the achievement of the goals of territorial internal affairs bodies depends on such an external resource as the public trust of citizens. The use of a public trust resource allows the police to minimize the antisocial behavior of citizens, establish relations of cooperation with citizens living in the serviced territory, and build a partnership model of relations with civil society institutions. The paper presents the author’s structure of the phenomenon of public trust, which includes institutional and interpersonal trust. The blocks of interpersonal trust consist of trust acquired in the process of primary socialization, trust acquired by experience (personal interaction), and trust based on social reality. The author notes that public trust is the specific resource that ensures the effectiveness of the activities of the internal affairs bodies and, at the same time, needs targeted managerial influence from the law enforcement structure. The main directions of the police to strengthen public trust include: the expansion of propaganda work among children; the involvement of the younger generation in volunteer movements; the development of the cadet movement; and the creation of a new approach to the implementation of information policy in the Internet space.