The Promo-LEX Association presented today its Report no. 5 on Civic Monitoring of Police Reform in the Republic of Moldova. The document is an annual report, which presents a post-factum synthesis of the degree of implementation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Inspectorate of Police of the objectives set out in the 2016-2020 Police Development Strategy and the Policy Matrix on implementation of the budget support for 2017 – 2020, provided by the European Union for the Police reform.
In 2020, the citizens’ confidence in the Police continued to increase. Thus, according to the Barometer of Public Opinion, in 2020 (the original deadline was 2019), the Police reached the target of 41% of citizens’ confidence, this indicator being set as an objective in the financing agreement for the implementation of the “Support for Police Reform” program, signed by the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Moldova.
However, according to the Report presented by the Promo -LEX Association, 2020, similarly to the previous years, saw several achievements in the implementation of the Strategy, along with multiple unfulfilled or partially fulfilled sub-actions. Thus, out of a total of 31 sub – actions to be completed by the end of 2020, only 12 (38.7%) were fully implemented, another 12 were partially implemented (38.7%) and five sub – actions (16.1%) remained unfulfilled. Two sub-actions (6.5%) could not be evaluated due to the immeasurable indicators.
Most sub-actions (5) qualified by Promo -LEX as fulfilled are related to the achievement of Objective no. 4, namely “creating a modern police service in line with the best international and EU standards and practices, able to respond proactively and equally to the needs of citizens and society as a whole”. The Promo -LEX Association welcomes the efforts made in order to ensure a reliable and efficient communication system for the operational purposes of the Police, as well as the endowment of specialized and territorial subdivisions with TETRA equipment.
At the same time, with regard to the arrears, we should mention the omission of the regionalization of the public procurement system within the Police, failure to approve the standard operational procedures and to train Police personnel for this purpose. Speaking of arrears, most unrealized sub-actions (3) were recorded in the implementation of Objective no. 1 of the Strategy, aimed at “consolidating the responsibility, efficiency, transparency and professionalism of the Police”.
Following the approval of the Government Decision on the organization and operation of the GIP at the end of 2019, 2020 was a year of institutional reorganization of the GIP. Although new organizational structures of GIP subdivisions were approved, the decentralization of the activities of maintaining and ensuring public order at the level of territorial subdivisions of the Police was omitted. Thus, the lack of will to implement a real institutional reform, in line with the strategic commitments made, was one of the causes of the delays and arrears in the implementation of the reform. Additionally, the fulfilment of the commitments undertaken was influenced by the memorandum imposed on occupying vacant positions within the GIP and the MIA, as well by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report no. 5 on Civic Monitoring of Police Reform can be found here.
Report no. 5 and its public launch are carried out by the Promo-LEX Association within the “Civic Monitoring of Police Reform in the Republic of Moldova” project, implemented with the financial support of the European Union, co-founded by the USA Embassy in Chisinau and the East Europe Foundation from resources provided by Swidden.
The project “Civic Monitoring of Police Reform in the Republic of Moldova” highlights the role of civic oversight of non-governmental organizations during the implementation of reforms, as well as the right of citizens to participate in decision-making process. The general objective of the project is to consolidate the responsibility, efficiency and transparency of the Police reform in the Republic of Moldova.
For more information, please contact:
Elena Raileanu- Seremac, Communications Officer of the Promo-LEX Association; GSM: 069895515, e-mail: [email protected]