OSCE Senior Police Adviser encourages further police reform in Armenia

YEREVAN, 17 July 2009 - 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 considers the democratic control of the police to be an indispensable 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 Citizens' Advisory Group meeting.

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