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On March 17, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Koryun Nahapetyan met with the Delegation led by Matthew Torigian, the Deputy Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services of Ontario Province of Canada.

Welcoming the guests Koryun Nahapetyan has noted that Armenian-Canadian relations actively develop in different spheres, including also the parliamentary format.

Koryun Nahapetyan has welcomed the fact that a basis of long lasting cooperation between the police systems of Armenia and Ontario Province is laid. The Committee Chairman presented to the guests the activities of the Committee led by him, particularly, in the sphere of police, he highlighted the strengthening of the parliamentary control towards the police, as a result of Constitutional reforms.

The Committee Chairman has noted that during the last 5 years wide-scale reforms are made in the police system, and however there are still problems, which should be solved especially after the Constitutional amendments. In the police reforms the Committee Chairman distinguished the directions of the rise of the efficiency in crime fighting, the investment and the upgrading of the community police system and the training of the police human resources, the rise of qualification and the road traffic security provision. The rise of the public trust towards the police had been emphasized among the problems existing in the system. He has stated that the Committee promotes the solution of the abovementioned within the framework of its authorities.

The Committee Chairman stressed the exchange of experience between the police systems of Armenia and Canada and the practical programs directed to the training of police huamn resources. The sides also discussed the initiative of possible cooperation between the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs and the relevant Committee of the legislative power of Ontario Province.

Matthew Torigian and the other members of the Delegation presented the Canadian experience of the parliamentary control, and the organization of the community police. They touched upon the issues regarding the events aimed at involving the different layers of the public in the works of the community police, the provision of the transparency and accountability of the police activities and the strengthening of the society-police link.