Armenia to allocate extra funds for police in 2005

Arminfo
18 Nov 04

YEREVAN

The funds envisaged for law-enforcement agencies in the draft state
budget for 2005 are insufficient. However, taking into consideration
the difficult economic situation in the republic, one should be
thankful for the extra 2bn drams [3.98m dollars] allocated to
law-enforcement agencies in 2005, compared to the budget allocation in
2004, the chief of the Armenian Police, Lt-Gen Ayk Arutyunyan, said
during today’s interview with journalists after hearings on the draft
state budget. In line with the draft state budget for 2005, 11.6bn
drams [23m dollars] will be allocated to the police.

He said that 80 per cent of the extra 2bn drams would be spent on
increasing wages of police employees, as a result of which wages will
increase by 40 per cent. The salary of Armenian policemen is lower
today than that of other state employees, the police chief said.

But the Armenian government has already expressed its readiness to
grant extra funds for the needs of the Armenian police in 2005 if
necessary, Ayk Arutyunyan said.