New Regulations for Police and Emergency Service Workers

The legislative package proposes to clarify disciplinary penalties and incentives for police and emergency service personnel and ensure a unified approach by extending the provisions of the "Civil Service Law" to these services. Meanwhile, sector-specific regulations will be determined by specific laws relevant to these services.

According to the press service of the National Assembly, this approach will ensure compliance with the requirements of Article 44, Part 4 of the "Civil Service Law," thereby expanding its scope to include the Police.

The legislative package, which includes proposed amendments and updates to the "Police Conduct and Disciplinary Code" and those to the "Police Law," was presented for discussion in a National Assembly session by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Mkrtchyan.

It is planned to formalize an ethical conduct system for police and emergency service personnel, creating separate ethics commissions for each service and establishing specific procedures for investigating breaches of conduct by relevant personnel.

The relocation of the information center, which operates within the police but performs non-police functions, to the Ministry is also included in the proposals. The powers of all police personnel will be extended to include measures for checking sobriety while preventing and revealing crimes and administrative violations, as well as maintaining public order.

In order to enhance the attractiveness of service in the police and emergency services, new regulations are anticipated. These will include provisions that allow police and emergency personnel to receive bonuses alongside any additional payments based on testing results.

To ensure social guarantees for personnel in police and emergency service positions, it is proposed that those individuals who may be released due to departmental reorganization or structural changes will retain their last salary if they assume a position in the police or emergency service within six months.

Additionally, there will be regulations aimed at increasing the appeal of assignments in the departments or offices of the ministry, allowing police or emergency service personnel, who leave service, to keep their last position's salary for six months if they are appointed to a civil service position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs that has a higher salary than the base salary of that role.

During a Q&A session, there were discussions regarding the appropriateness of making police uniforms available for free sale as well as the importance of preventing illegal drug circulation. Armen Khachatryan, Deputy Chair of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense and Security, recommended voting in favor of the legislative package's adoption.