Patrol Police start working in Armenian capital

YEREVAN, July 7. /ARKA/. Patrol Police, a new police unit tasked with road policing, crowd control and street patrol, established as part of a major structural reform of the national police service, started today working in Armenia's capital, Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan said in a Facebook post.

According to the minister, in 2020 alone the USA, EU, OSCE, UNDP and World Bank provided more than 5 billion drams in assistance to support the reform and also pledged to provide assistance in the same volume in 2021 and 2022.

Badasyan said the ministry will start soon training patrol officers for the provinces of Lori and Shirak.

The patrol service has broader powers.

According to the minister, the launch of the Patrol Police is expected to raise the population's trust in law-enforcement agencies.

In February, 2021 the Armenian government approved the release of 2 billion 161 million drams from the government reserve fund for the purchase of 140 vehicles for the Patrol Police and equipment for its operational control center. It promised also to release another 32 million 445 thousand drams for the reconstruction of the center.

Also, in February, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the government's plan to create a ministry of interior as part of a major structural reform of the national police service.

Armenia had an interior ministry until former President Robert Kocharyan abolished it and turned the police into a separate structure subordinate to the president of the country.

The police became accountable to the prime minister after Armenia shifted to a parliamentary system of government. ($1 - 495.59 drams) -0-

 

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10:49 07/07/2021