ArmInfo. The process of forming the Police Guard was discussed in Armenia. This issue was the subject of a conversation between the Deputy Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Armen Ghazaryan and Armen Mkrtchyan with Zachary Barter, Director of the U.S. Embassy Yerevan's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, during the meeting the Deputy Ministers expressed their gratitude to the American side for the multifaceted cooperation established with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They emphasized the importance of the tangible results achieved jointly, pointing out the need to make them more systematic in the future by expanding cooperation. The representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs pointed out the importance of technical assistance provided by the US Embassy in the implementation of the reform programs of the structure, as well as the provision of tools to combat cybercrime, modern software and improvement of the legislative framework.
During the meeting, the progress of work on the formation of the Police Guard, the introduction of a new standard for the use of force and special equipment, and issues of special training and retraining of employees were discussed.
The parties emphasized the importance of ensuring public communication and informing employees of territorial units subordinate to the ministry, which is a strategic and key component in the context of reforms. The issues of technical equipment of the Patrol Service and continuous training of personnel were also touched upon.
The topics discussed also included studying international experience, institutionalizing the human resource management system, introducing digital tools and mechanisms for assessing effectiveness.
The day before, at a press conference, the RA Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, speaking about the risks associated with the constant participation of representatives of the US Embassy in the reform process, noted that there is no structure in Armenia whose activities would depend on a particular country or its expected financial injections. According to her, the support from external partners in the person of the US and Europe is explained "exclusively by common values".
The process of forming the Police Guard is underway in Armenia, which will be created on the basis of the police troops, the Main Department of State Police Security and special police units. The Guard will be under the general leadership of the Chief of Police. It will operate under civilian management and parliamentary control. Thus, the police sphere will rely on four main structures - the Patrol Service, the Criminal Police, the Municipal Police and the Police Guard.