On Police Day PM Tries to Allay Police Officers’ ‘Uncertainty’ over Planned MIA Reform

Patrol police cars and officers from various units of the Interior Ministry seen during a ceremony of the Police Day in Kutaisi on May 31, 2015. Photo: president’s office

Addressing police officers at a ceremony marking Police Day in Kutaisi on May 31, PM Irakli Garibashvili told them there is no reason to be wary of planned reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

“We have declared about launching of reform of the Interior Ministry this year. I know it causes many questions among you and there is certain uncertainty – I completely understand you,” Garibashvili said.

“But I assure you that the state will not do anything that may weaken our country,” he said at the outdoor ceremony in Georgia’s second-largest city.

The ceremony was also attended by President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who praised Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri as “a very good and professional minister.”

Security and intelligence agencies will be decoupled from the Interior Ministry and a separate, State Security Service, will be set up, according to a reform proposal, which has already been submitted to the Parliament for consideration.

The interior and security ministries merged in 2004. Now it unites under its subordination broad range of “power-wielding agencies” from police, security and intelligence services to border guard and coast guard.

According to the government-proposed plan a candidate for head of the State Security Service will be nominated by the Prime Minister; a candidate will require support of more than half of lawmakers to be appointed as head of the State Security Service for a six-year term. The same person will not be able to take the post for a second term.

Among others, counter-intelligence, anti-terrorist center and operative-technical department, which is in charge of surveillance operations, will be part of the State Security Agency.

In his speech at the ceremony , PM Garibashvili also told police officers that “politicians, citizens often forget what a heavy burden you carry.”

Garibashvili, 32, who served as the Interior Minister for a year before becoming the PM in November 2013, said that just, law-abiding and human-centered police were the main principles of the Interior Ministry since the Georgian Dream coalition came into power. 

“Since coming into power, we have done a lot in reforming this system. Fundamental reforms started when I was the Interior Minister – transformation, which resulted in putting policemen in the service of the state,” he said. “It is our joint achievement that policemen are now performing their duties with high professionalism and with full compliance of democratic standards… We have achieved that fight against crime is carried out without infringing dignity of our citizens. This is very important, which is also one of the main principles for building of a democratic state. Our goal is to fight crime only with lawful means.”

In his speech Garibashvili also noted about planned increase of one-time payment for families of police officers killed in the line of duty to GEL 100,000 and monthly payment to GEL 1,000. The proposal has been approved by the Parliament with its first reading.

From left to right: head of the border guard police Zurab Gamezardashvili; Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri; President Giorgi Margvelashvili and PM Irakli Garibashvili review various police equipment, which were put on display for public viewing in Kutaisi to mark the Georgian Police Day, May 31, 2015. Photo: president’s office.

Addressing the same ceremony, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said that it is now important for the Georgian police “to move further forward from reacting on crime towards prevention of crime.”

“Public’s confidence and being close to the society, being in touch with the people – these are natural duties of police. Police are committed to protection of ordinary citizens and I believe that this path will continue,” the President said.

“My confidence stems from the spirit, which I see in the political elite. You have a very good and professional Interior Minister,” Margvelashvili told the police officers. “In the difficult moment, when there was a campaign was stirred against the police, Mr. Gomelauri [the Interior Minister] managed to tackle the situation with calm, professionalism and a very correct political approach. I want to especially thank him for such an efficient work.”

In his speech the President also spoke about the problem of violence against women, noting that last year was marked by “disastrous statistics” in this regard. “I am confident that the police will fight against this grave crime with even more professionalism and actively,” President Margvelashvili said.

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