The Ministry of Internal Affairs has put forward a new draft of legislative amendments that provides for a new type of police: a community (municipal) police force.
LifeNews.am discussed the topic with Hayk Gabrielyan, founder of Gabrielyan & Partners Detective Bureau and a police lieutenant colonel. He told us:
“Internationally, municipal or community police units are, in their role and activity, units that maintain public order within a community’s administrative territory and prevent offences. Community or municipal police units exist in many countries, especially EU member states, the USA, Canada and others.”
Asked whether Armenia needs such a force today and what problems it would solve, Gabrielyan replied: “Given that, as part of the police reforms, Patrol Police units have already been set up that cover all the functions of the former Road Police and Patrol and Guard Service around the clock, and that territorial Criminal Police units are also planned, I believe it has become necessary to set up community police units as well. Within a community’s administrative territory they will perform preventive policing: forecasting, preventing and detecting crimes and offences, maintaining public order, and preventing domestic violence and juvenile crime.”
To the remark that, under the draft, the current regional police departments are to be dissolved once territorial Criminal Police units are set up, the lieutenant colonel said: “The overall police reforms also include structural changes, and that in itself is a natural process.”
Tatev Kostandyan
Read at the source (in Armenian): What difference will creating a community police make? Hayk Gabrielyan explains — LifeNews