Within the framework of the ongoing criminal police reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Community Officers Institute was launched in Rustavi after introducing the same institute in Tbilisi.
In Rustavi, Kvemo Kartli Police Department, 19 community officers have already started fulfilling their responsibilities.
Officers were selected through a competition. Candidates who won the competition underwent several weeks of intensive professional training at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs - Shalva Bedoidze, Deputy Minister - Aleksandre Darakhvelidze and Director of Kvemo Kartli Police Department - Guram Natsvlishvili congratulated community officers on their first working day.
First Deputy Minister, Shalva Bedoidze addressed the community officers with a speech and wished them success in their professional activities.
Shalva Bedoidze also outlined the importance of community officers institute.
The community officer is a model of community-oriented policing that is a widely approbated tool in crime prevention worldwide. Community officer is responsible for addressing important issues and challenges related to juveniles, domestic violence, neighborhood disputes, and problems related to vulnerable groups. Its functions and responsibilities also include planning and implementing crime prevention activities; data collection, systematization and processing of information; proceedings of administrative violations; responding to the witnessed crime.
The number of community officers will gradually increase throughout the country and the institute will be launched in all major cities of the country.
After the event, the First Deputy Minister held a working meeting with the leadership of Kvemo Kartli Regional Police.
