Armenia might postpone police reforms due to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is what Deputy Chief of Police of Armenia Ara Fidanyan said during today’s discussion on the draft of the 2021 State Budget held as part of the joint session of the Standing Committees on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs and on Defense and Security today.

Fidanyan added that the Police of Armenia will receive AMD 64,600,000,000 from the State Budget in 2021.

“The funds will be used to support activities in the organizational-legal sector of the Police, provision of services, ensuring of public safety, as well as development and monitoring of the policy on the fight against offenses. They will also be used for the implementation of police education programs,” Fidanyan stated.

Out of the total amount of expenditures, expenditures for social needs will make up AMD 50,700,000,000 or 78.5% of total expenditures., while AMD 13,900,000,000 has been allocated for procurement for the needs of the Police.

The 2020-22 Police Reform Strategy envisages the transformation of the police service into a Ministry of Internal Affairs, the establishment of a national guard based on internal police troops and the creation of patrol and operational management centers.