All Police Officers Will Be Able to Conduct Sobriety Tests

In Armenia, all police officers are granted the authority to conduct sobriety tests while preventing and detecting crimes and administrative violations, as well as maintaining public order. This was presented by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Mkrtchyan during an Assembly meeting along with a package of draft laws related to the police's code of ethics and disciplinary regulations. The package also aims to clarify disciplinary penalties and incentives for police and emergency service personnel, ensuring a unified approach to the provisions of the Civil Service Law for these services.

“To prevent and detect crimes and administrative violations, as well as to maintain public order, all police officers will be empowered to conduct sobriety tests. Currently, this authority is reserved only for patrol officers, while other officers rely on the support of patrols,” stated the deputy minister.

He added that adjustments are suggested to enhance the attractiveness of service in the police and emergency services, which would include regulations ensuring that police and emergency service personnel receive additional payments and bonuses in conjunction with allowances provided through performance evaluations.

Additionally, it is proposed that in the context of securing social guarantees for police and emergency service personnel, regulations should be established whereby those personnel would retain their last received salary for up to six months after being released from service due to reorganization or structural changes in their department, if they are appointed to a position in the police or emergency services that pays more than the salary set for that position.

It is also suggested that to enhance the attractiveness of civil service positions within the Ministry's structural subdivisions or offices, regulations should be established allowing police or emergency service personnel, within six months of leaving service, to retain their salary when appointed to a civil service role in the Ministry, as long as it exceeds the basic salary for that civil service position. However, salary retention will not apply in case of a position change.