President Serzh Sargsyan participated yesterday at the sitting of the RA Police Board. At the sitting the RA Chief of Police Alik Sargsyan presented a report on this situation with fight against crime and preservation of public order. Sargsyan mentioned during the meeting that they will be much more intolerant towards unacceptable conduct – bribery, the so called “institute of high patronage” and indecent behavior and abuse of office. Sargsyan said that the law provides the police with the authority to use force. “The implementation of that authority puts an enormous burden on your shoulders. This responsibility is probably commensurate with the responsibility of a surgeon before the patient. A good policeman, a good citizen should be a mature person, confident in his mission. Second, while endowing the police with significant authority, the law imposes also restrictions and demands on law enforcement bodies. Your personal position regarding any issue or phenomenon must not impede the realization of these profound requirements. This is, undoubtedly, a very complicated issue. However, you cannot become a good policeman without addressing that problem. And we do need good police force. A doctor cannot have reservations regarding a patient who has different political or civic views. The same goes for the policemen. Third, you are provided with the authority and responsibility to make decisions at discretion. It is impossible to have a recipe for every occurrence, particularly a legal one. It is impossible to foresee all controversial situations and avert every violation. For that very reason, while fulfilling responsibilities envisaged by law, the policeman is guided by certain basics. The law enforcement agents cannot act efficiently without them. Nevertheless, discretion must be used in the framework of human and civil rights, their equality, proportionate use of authority, and exclusion of arbitrary actions. Even though violations are mostly anticipated, often they are very specific. This is the reason why values and principles, which the policeman must adhere to while performing his official duties, become even more important,” mentioned the President. He added that any action by the police cannot be controversial from the view of basic and universal societal values. “However, at all times the actions of the police should withstand the test of these values. This is the key for increasing trust towards the Police and the law enforcement system. Sometimes, our citizens observe violations on the streets and the policeman turns his back on it. What kind of respect or trust can you have towards the policeman in the case like that? There are even more gruesome examples: the entire society knows that a murder has been committed, knows who’s has committed it but the policeman twists the case in such a way that someone else is implicated, while the real murderer remains on the loose. What is to be said of such a policeman, of the entire system? You all know that one such incident has taken place in Arabkir community. I feel embarrassed myself. If you are serious about this structure, which I want to believe is the case, you will uphold honor of the system as your own, you ought to be embarrassed yourselves. You should have stepped forward and told your superiors – it is a shame, how could you discredit our system like that? Another example – a crime, a murder attempt in Gavar; almost all material evidence is available, confession is available. A high-ranking policeman, I cannot find words to depict him, interferes. The crime is hushed up and as a result we end up with a case of hooliganism and a resultant penalty. What do you think the attitude of the people of Gavar would be towards the Police? What do you think the attitude of the population of other marzes, of Yerevan should be towards the Police? These are problems we have to solve. And this is not only a problem for the Chief of Police or his deputies, this is our common problem, a problem for all those who care about the prestige and repute of the Police. While fulfilling tasks facing the Police, along with stressing the importance of the police efficiency, we will continue to highlight their activities and further regulation of their service duties, define more precisely the criteria, persistent adherence to the norms of conduct and ethics, constant monitoring, and most importantly – unceasing rise of professionalism,” said Sargsyan. In the end he added, “We should by all means strengthen the link between the policeman’s decision, his actions and the values of the society. We all have one goal – to serve our people and our citizens, to fortify our society and our state to face challenges of the global world and take a full advantage of its opportunities.”
