Legal status of police services, implementing anti-criminal policy of the 17th century Muscovite state

The article deals with the specifics which for mauthority of the prikazy, voivodes and gubnyeinstitutions in the 17th century Muscovite State interms of anti-criminal activities that consist in maintaining publicorder and taking part incriminal procedure. The largest works copein relation tocombating crime was done by theRobbery prikaz that ran gubnye izby and set up a gubnoy starosta corps (by means of elections and appointments).Apart from the Robbery prikaz, law-enforcement duties, to a great extent, were also implemented by the Zemskiyand Sysknoy prikaz. Special attention with in this article is paid to the issue of voivodes competence formation in connection withanti-criminal policy, their duties were determined by «nakazy» from the centre and consisted both in maintaininglaw and order and arranging search and investigation into the cases under their jurisdiction. The article also addresses the lack of definite separation of duties within the jurisdiction context, e.g., politicaloff enders could be and if needed had to be traced by police services of all levels, but an investigation was generallyconducted at the prikaz level where as a judgment could be delivered at the highest power level.