National Police celebrate 16 years of service

National Police celebrate the 16th anniversary since foundation on Monday, December 18. On this date in 1990 the supreme soviet of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova passed the Law on police which generated a new law enforcement body which was to replace the soviet militia. Within the frameworks of a meeting on estimating the activity of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2006, held on this occasion, Minister Gheorghe Papuc stated that “the priority for MAI is to serve the society, to protect citizens’ peace, life and security, to defend their rights and liberties”. Papuc referred to the opportunity of implementing a Police ethics and deontology code – a conduct guide which, in his opinion will serve as a “guarantee of educating a higher level of culture and ethics of the MAI staff”. Finally, the minister addressed his guarantees to the civil society that in 2007 MAI bodies will continue their role of the protector of the population, expressing his hope that the citizens’ trust for the police will correspond to the efforts made by law enforcement bodies. The former deputy commissioner of the capital and the ex-chairman of the municipal Police, Stefan Varlan told Info-Prim Neo that, in the years of national revival, while he was holding these offices, the policemen have been involved in maintaining public order during manifestations of hundreds of thousands people. In order to avoid bloodshed, policemen, many of whom were still wearing old uniforms served as living shield for the mob gathered in the Great National Assembly Square. In March 1992, only policemen participated in the War on the Nistru River in order to protect the integrity of the new state – Republic of Moldova. Stefan Varlan says that it is the first case in history, when because of the lack of an army, the police fought as an equal party in a war. Names of hundreds of policemen who fell in battles will be immortalized in the pages of Moldova’s history, as well as remembered by their colleagues in the ministry and in towns and villages of Moldova. Head of the Union of Independence War Veterans (UVRI), Eduard Maican regrets that all those who fought for Moldova’s integrity, as well as high ranked specialists from MAI bodies, have been eliminated over the last few years from the law enforcement bodies. Police bodies have been created by people and for protecting people, and in order that this aspiration comes true, it is absolutely necessary that police are demilitarized and depoliticized. The implication of police in the recent actions at “Antena C” proves the contrary though, Eduard Maican adds, specifying that UVRI supports the staffs of the two stations as well as their protest actions. Minister of Internal Affaires Gheorghe Papuc stated that, on National Police day, its employers will have more work to do than in the ordinary days. The minister explained by reminding about the hideous crimes registered almost every year on Police Day.