Armenian parliament approves educational reforms in law enforcement system

YEREVAN, November 30. /ARKA/. On Wednesday, Armenian National Assembly passed at the first reading amendments to the police service law.

The amendments propose to train police officers in accordance with new educational standards.

“Our education system was in want of unified standards, and international experience in this area was ignored,” Arthur Osikyan, deputy police chief, said while presenting the bill to lawmakers.

A noncommercial state organization, a college and an education centre for the police were established this year in Armenia.

The education center affiliated to the Police Academy provides a general education, the college a vocational education and the academy the higher education.

“Some 65 people enrolled in the college and 120 in the centre in October,” Osikyan said. “They were tested via computers and an up-to-date system was applied to examination.”

He said that in the Soviet Union the police departments used to employ graduates from other education establishments and this Soviet-era legacy remained active long years. But things have already changed in Armenia, he said, and only those who get appropriate degrees in police service can be employed as police officers.

Investigation division can employ only those who have higher education in law, while non-police job vacancies can be filled by other universities’ graduates.

Osikyan assured National Assembly members that the results of introduction of the new system will be visible already in two or three years.-0---