ArmInfo. Police need reforms to help reduce crime in Armenia. This was announced on June 12 during a joint meeting of the standing parliamentary committees during the iscussion of the report on the implementation of the state budget for 2019, said head of the Prime Minister's Office Eduard Aghajanyan.
He noted that the police in the regions are expected to issue tablets. According to him, it is supposed to establish an operational map at all police headquarters in the regions, and the police will need tablets to maintain constant operational communication with the headquarters. <So they can quickly respond to calls. This program was approved back in 2017, but, unfortunately, its implementation was delayed for objective and subjective reasons>, Aghadzhanyan emphasized.
The prime minister's chief of staff also noted that these programs should be implemented along with other reforms. "However, a number of reforms need to be implemented faster, there is no long time for waiting. Moreover, these reforms will help to drastically reduce the crime rate in the country. We cannot wait until 2021, we agreed on the need for these reforms with the Ministry of Justice and the Armenian Police", Aghajanyan emphasized.
To note, according to the law on amendments to the laws "On Police" and "On Police Service", the formation of a patrol service is envisaged, which will differ from the traffic police and the patrol service. The primary task of the patrol service will be to maintain public order, prevent crimes and facilitate their disclosure, as well as draw up acts of administrative offenses.
During formation of the service, an open competition will be held. Prior to appointment to the respective posts, all candidates will have to undergo a 5-month special educational program. The patrol service will first be deployed in Yerevan, and is expected to happen in the first quarter of 2021. A year later, in the first quarter of 2022, it should be introduced in the regions of the country.