Patrol Police Officers Have Started Their Duty in Yerevan: Rustam Badasyan

The Acting Minister of Justice, Rustam Badasyan, made a post on his Facebook page about the launch of the patrol police's operations, sharing accompanying photos.

“Welcome the new patrol officers! Today, for the first time, patrol police officers have taken to duty in Yerevan. In December 2019, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Justice of Armenia to develop a program for police reforms in cooperation with the Police, which was drafted with the involvement of all responsible parties in the sector, international partners, reputable experts, and human rights defenders, and was subsequently approved by the government in April 2020.

The strategy outlines several important changes, including the transformation of external service with the establishment of a new patrol service and an Operational Management Center, reforms to the Police troops, the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the transfer of public service delivery from the police to the ministry, and adjustments to criminal and community policing.

A new image of a trusted police officer, based on international best practices and addressing the challenges faced by the police in our country, was selected as a guiding principle for substantive and justified changes in the field. This encompasses bringing in new blood to the profession, thoroughly revising professional education, transforming the educational environment, equipping services with modern technology and specialized means, and establishing a clear and calculated sequence of steps to create a benevolent, accountable, and professional public servant.

International partners (USA, EU, OSCE, UNDP, World Bank) expressed their support for the implementation of this systematic and large-scale program, providing more than 5 billion AMD in support during 2020 alone and committing at least the same amount for 2021-2022.

The challenges of 2020 — the pandemic, the war — strengthened our faith and will to establish a professional and trustworthy external service that serves the community, helping people in difficult situations. Soon, there will be an announcement for the admission of students to the patrol service in the Lori and Shirak regions. The reforms continue,” wrote Rustam Badasyan, adding the hashtag #NewPatrolPolice.