“It is proposed to establish the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The RA Police, the Migration and Citizenship Service, and the Rescue Service will be subordinate bodies to the Ministry,” the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan noted, presenting the package of draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on Structure and Activities of the Government and 36 related ones in the first reading at the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs.
The RA Educational Complex of Police and the Crises Management State Academy SNCOs will be subordinate to the Ministry to be established. The heads of subordinate bodies will be appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia on the recommendation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Head of Police and the Director of Rescue Service will be the deputies of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The heads of the 3 subordinate bodies will continue to carry out the daily direct management of their services, and the Minister of Internal Affairs will be politically responsible.
In particular, the Head of Police will continue to carry out the daily direct management of police, and the Minister of Internal Affairs will be responsible for the development and implementation of the policy in the field, will make personnel appointments in the positions of the main group of police. Officers of the main group of police will be subject to disciplinary punishment by the Minister, and officers of the other groups will be subject to disciplinary punishment by the Head of Police. Referring to the MPs’ questions, the Deputy Minister informed that the social condition of the employees of the abovementioned structures will not worsen as a result of the changes.
During the debate, the MPs presented their views and expressed their concerns.
According to MP Vigen Khachatryan, it would be correct if the territorial administration was also transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The co-rapporteur, the Deputy Chair of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Arusyak Julhakyan emphasized the adoption of the legislative package, opting that the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stems from the strategy of reforming the police.
The Committee endorsed the legislative package. It will be debated at the NA extraordinary sitting on December 9.
The members of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security also participated in the extraordinary sitting of the Committee held on December 8.