Despite the results achieved in implementing the Law on the Police and the Status of Police Officer, there is yet a lot to be done, especially in reforming the Carabineer Troops. The assessments are contained in a report commissioned by Soros Foundation Moldova and produced by the Institute of Public Policy (IPP), IPN reports.
In a news conference, director of the Justice Program of Soros Foundation Moldova Victor Munteanu said the analysis showed that the Law on the Police and the Status of Police Officer had a positive impact on the functional separation between the Ministry of the Interior and the General Police Inspectorate, on the demilitarization of the Ministry and ensuring of greater transparency in the work of the police as well as on people’s confidence in the police.
As regards shortcomings, Victor Munteanu said that compared with the reform of the justice system and of the Prosecutor General’s Office, where exact implementation terms were set, the reform of the Ministry of the Interior does not envision such terms. “When we speak about the police reform, especially about prosecution and observance of human rights at the prosecution stage, we see lack of synchronization with the reform of the prosecution service and with the work of such bodies as the Investigation Division and the Prosecution Division,” he stated, adding that it’s not clear if the strategy for reforming the Ministry of the Interior adopted in 2010 is the benchmark for continuing the reform or not yet.
According to Victor Munteanu, nobody can now say the exact cost of this reform and what its final result will be. “I think accurate calculations should be done so as to determine the cost of this reform. We should not be afraid of figures. We did calculations in the case of the justice sector reform and should do them in the case of the reform of the Ministry of the Interior too so as to also know how much the process will last,” he stated.
The professional training of the police is another problem highlighted by the report, namely as regards the professional assessment and promotion mechanisms. Experts say transparency and clarity is needed so that each police officer knows why they are assessed and what will follow afterward.
