Public discussion of the draft police reform strategy
On July 18, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (MIA) and Democracy Development Foundation organized a public discussion on the draft police reform strategy and its 2024-2026 Action Plan. Around 50 representatives, including the police leadership, state bodies and agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental and human rights organizations, attended the discussion.
Before this public discussion, a group of civil society organizations, coordinated by Democracy Development Foundation, had prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs a comprehensive package of proposals and observations regarding the strategy.
Opening the public discussion, Naira Sultanyan, the director of Democracy Development Foundation, said:
“Our country has made certain achievements in the area of police reform, and although slowly, however the public trust in the patrol police is growing. However, our state does not have the luxury of time, and we cannot rest on these small achievements. The regional and global developments compel us to accelerate domestic reforms, particularly police reforms, which are directly related to ensuring our country’s internal stability.”
Naira Sultanyan emphasized that civil society wants this internal stability in Armenia to be based primarily on the rule of law.
This approach is the reason of our dissatisfaction and criticism regarding the unprofessional work of the police, police brutality, the use of disproportionate force, as well as serious issues of integrity. We fully understand the complexity of all the challenges related to police reform, but please accept this dissatisfaction and criticism from civil society as a commitment on our part to assist the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the implementation of these reforms” emphasized director of DDF.
In her opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan thanked the Democracy Development Foundation and all the civil society partners involved in the design work of the strategic program for their effective collaboration. She also welcomed the commitment of civil society to ensure the implementation of the strategy through joint efforts.
Speaking about the extensive preparatory work preceding the design phase of the strategic program, the Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of the focus group discussions held with around two dozen representatives of civil society. She noted that this process was unprecedented in its nature and, at the same time, allowed for a joint analysis of sectoral achievements, identification of issues, and addressing them according to targeted directions.
Touching upon the commitment to the implementation of reforms, Arpine Sargsyan noted the important achievements already recorded in several areas, which are a good basis for spreading positive experience in the police system and unhindered continuation of reforms in other areas. Among the major achievements, she highlighted the formation of a new actor in the field of internal security, a new democratic institution – the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“The daily actions of the police, as well as the resources spent by the police, are under the control of a representative body elected by the people – the National Assembly. This represents a significant institutional achievement for reforms in this area. It will enable a more transparent and accountable dialogue, utilizing all the resources of the government and the National Assembly. This will facilitate open discussion of the measures taken and acknowledgment of the ongoing issues that still need to be addressed and resolved “ noted Arpine Sargsyan.
Arpine Sargsyan presented in detail the police reform strategy and draft action plan for 2024-2026. The Deputy Minister presented the main components of the strategic plan, touched upon the optimization of the police service, infrastructure, technical equipment and functionality, emphasizing the importance of ensuring inclusiveness, public perception, strategic communications and international cooperation in the reform process.
At the end of the meeting, there was an active discussion. It was agreed that the draft would be revised according to the proposals and then submitted for official circulation.
The video from the event can be found. here։
