OSCE SENIOR POLICE ADVISER ENCOURAGES FURTHER POLICE REFORM IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
17.07.2009 17:55

The Senior Police Adviser to the OSCE Secretary General, Kevin Carty,
discussed Armenia’s police reform with authorities during a visit to
Yerevan today.

"The police are the most visible manifestation of government
authority responsible for public security. Democratic police develop
and implement their activities according to the needs of the public
and the State and is called to respect and protect human rights and
freedoms," Carty said.

"I welcome the existing co-operation between the OSCE and the Armenian
authorities, in particular the introduction of the community policing
model, and encourage further reform in this field."

During his visit, Carty met with the Head of the Armenian Police,
Maj.-Gen. Alik Sargsyan, the Adviser to the President of Armenia,
Gevork Kostanyan, and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee
on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs of the National
Assembly, Hrair Karapetyan.

In the meetings, Carty emphasized the importance of police education
reform and highlighted the need to incorporate practical skills
training and obligatory basic police training in the curriculum –
elements that are recommended in the preliminary results of two joint
OSCE-Armenian police working groups.

"The OSCE consider the democratic control of the police to be an
indispe nsable element of stability and security. Therefore, police
should be open to scrutiny by a variety of oversight institutions,
including the National Assembly and civil society," he added.

Carty also visited two community police outreach stations recently
opened with OSCE support in the Arabkir police district in Yerevan
and took part in a Citizen’s Advisory Group meeting.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has been supporting Armenia’s police reform
since 2005.