OSCE poll highlights public concerns before start of community policing project in Armenia

YEREVAN, 17 March 2004 - An opinion poll aimed at providing a snapshot of public opinion about the performance of police officers in Armenia was presented today, as part of the OSCE's Police Assistance Programme in the country.

The poll, which was conducted in the Arabkir Police District, also aimed at recording citizens' concerns about the crime situation in the district and its impact on the quality of life. It was conducted last December by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the OSCE's Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) in co-operation with the Armenian Police and the non-governmental organization, Centre for Regional Development/Transparency International, and represents the first step in the development of a community policing model for Armenia.

Community policing promotes the concept of people taking an active part in preventing, reducing and detecting crime within their own community in close partnership with their local police.

"Community policing is all about interaction between the citizens of a community or a neighbourhood, and those citizens - the police - whose special duty is to protect and serve this same community or neighbourhood," said Hans Jarvestam, a police adviser in the SPMU. "Community policing is also about fostering mutual trust and confidence, thus laying the groundwork for a harmonious and effective partnership between the law-enforcement bodies and civil society at large."

Colonel Aram Zakaryan, Head of the Yerevan Police Department, stressed that the importance of community policing should not be underestimated. "We fully support the initiative of the OSCE Office, and express our strong interest in undertaking the same poll in two years' time," he said.

In July 2003, the Armenian police and the OSCE signed an agreement on the development of a Police Assistance Programme for Armenia. The Arabkir Police Department was selected for the introduction of a new community policing model, based on partnership with the residents of the districts and their active involvement in the crime prevention work of the police. The aim of the project is to identify and develop an overall strategy for the improvement of the relationship between the police and the local community.

Two weeks ago, 40 senior police officials at Headquarters and district station level participated in a discussion of Armenian and international experiences in working with community policing.