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Elnur Enveroglu

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Since the first independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan police have been distinguished by their exemplary activity in all periods.

One of the first steps taken by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the first democratic republic in the East, is the creation of an independent Azerbaijan police.

Thus, on May 24, 1998, according to Decree No. 710 of the former President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the date of Azerbaijan Police Day was changed; In 1918, on the day of the establishment of the first police bodies under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, July 2 was declared as Azerbaijan Police Day.

Since its inception, the Azerbaijan Police has served the interests of the people and the state, faithfully fulfilling its responsibilities such as protection of order and security, protection of stability and security, and fighting crime.

Unfortunately, due to the fall of ADR, the national police of Azerbaijan was also abolished. Instead, the Bolsheviks created an institution called the "militia". During the years of Soviet rule, this institution provided services in the field of security protection and crime fighting.

And finally, after Azerbaijan regained its independence, the national police was created.

It should be especially noted that the national police, one of the physical and moral supports of the Republic of Azerbaijan, actively participated in the protection of our lands and territorial integrity in the Garabagh War, in which our state was forcibly involved. In this war, 1,695 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Internal Troops who defended our lands were martyred for the Motherland. 67 people from the ranks of the Azerbaijan Police were awarded the title of National Hero. Also, 1,143 people were awarded various orders and medals.

In addition, attention was paid to the strengthening of the police force to end arbitrariness and criminal events in the country.

In 1994, the national leader Heydar Aliyev signed the Decree "On strengthening the fight against crime, measures to strengthen the rule of law", a serious fight against organized crime began in our Republic. Not long after, the criminogenic situation in the country changed abruptly, and important measures were taken to maintain peace, tranquility.

Vigilance of the Internal Affairs bodies has always played a guarantor role in maintaining political stability and public order in the country.

It is no coincidence that July 2 is celebrated every year as a professional holiday for Azerbaijan Police officers in the country. This is related to the decree issued by our national leader Heydar Aliyev in 1998 during his presidency.

In October 2003, with the election of Ilham Aliyev as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, our country entered a new stage of development, the provision of social and political stability and order became a symbol of our independent state, which confidently moves towards future success and progress. Within the framework of the comprehensive reforms carried out by the head of state, all necessary measures have been taken to modernize the internal affairs bodies. In the past years, various decrees and orders have been signed in order to fully respond to the interests of society and build it according to advanced international practice. Important measures were taken on the basis of the State Program adopted in 2004 at the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan to improve the structure and legal framework of the ministry, to improve its material and technical supply, to strengthen the social protection of personnel and to inform about the role of the police in a democratic society.

Today, the trend of modernization covers all organs and parts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Adaptation of activity to international standards, and improvement of material and technical support, including the provision of the most modern technologies, have been brought to a high level, and dozens of electronic services, websites, "hotline" and other information resources have been created, police activities have been organized in "ASAN service" centers. These and other innovative initiatives that ensure citizen satisfaction have greatly increased the effectiveness of law enforcement, service efficiency, and effectiveness in agencies and departments.

The Azerbaijan Police is a unified centralized law enforcement agency with a strong material and technical base, a well-organized system for the protection of public order, law and order, and professional staff. Thanks to the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev, this ongoing development and modernization allows us to reliably protect the rights and interests of our citizens protected by law, and to take adequate response measures in the fight against crime and its transnational organized types.

Today, thanks to the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev, internal affairs bodies, which are continuously developing, stand out for their important services in the fight against crime and its transnational types, and in ensuring order and security in the country. At the same time, Azerbaijani police professionally fulfill their duties in the field of protection of the legal interests, rights, and freedoms of citizens, and by always being faithful to their duties, they justify the trust and confidence placed in them.

An example of this is the intensive activity of the Azerbaijani police during the coronavirus pandemic, which was announced for the first time in Azerbaijan in 2019. At that time, in the truest sense of the word, the Azerbaijan police were fully mobilized and faithfully performed the function of public safety.

"Our police officers of the Internal Troops are on the streets day and night, risking their lives, trying to make people understand. Now we should not impede their work. The pandemic showed the whole world that everyone is equal before this disease. No privilege is given or will be given to anyone. This is one of the main parts of our policy, that the rule of law and equality should always be established."

President Ilham Aliyev mentioned these words in his address on the activities of the police officers. Indeed, the Azerbaijani police fulfilled their obligations at the highest level during the pandemic.

In addition, the Second Karabakh War, which began in 2020, was remembered by the invaluable services of the Azerbaijani police.

Certainly, employees of the internal affairs bodies of Azerbaijan demonstrated their bravery in the Patriotic War.

In addition to the progress achieved in the military, economic, and management system, Azerbaijan, which is constantly developing, has taken important steps in meeting the modern standards of the Azerbaijan police.

At the present time, the high level of professionalism of the Azerbaijan Police does not lag behind the police services in many developed countries of Europe. On the contrary, the Azerbaijani police, distinguished by the courtesy, patience, and restraint shown to every citizen regardless of religion, race, and nationality, are received with special sympathy in the society today.

As we do not encounter criminal elements in our daily lives, we may not see police activities prominently. But every citizen of Azerbaijan should understand that the current security environment is also the result of invisible, preventive activities of the police.

Some older and middle-aged generations remember the criminogenic situation in the 90s very well. Walking alone in the dark streets was a risk to life. A group of swindlers, carrying guns in their pockets and using confusion, tried to keep the common people under their influence. Many crimes that occurred were not fully investigated and remained mysterious.

However, the development of Azerbaijan in the last 30 years also gave impetus to the rapid modernization of the Azerbaijani police.

The Azerbaijani police are distinguished not only by their physical fitness but also by their ability to use modern technologies.

Azerbaijan police demonstrate high professionalism in the fight against modern challenges in criminality and cybercrime. If this type of operation was once carried out by National Security officers, today the modern police in Azerbaijan perform this task in a very professional manner. In the last few years, modern Azerbaijani police operating under the Ministry of Internal Affairs have carried out a number of successful operations in cyber attacks, theft of money from bank accounts and bank cards, especially threats on social networks, and investigation of a number of crimes.

It is not a secret that looking at the statistical indicators, we can say that Azerbaijan's police surpasses the security agencies of not only the region but also some leading European countries in terms of professionalism. Thus, the criminal index of our country is lower than that of European Union countries such as Lithuania, Spain, and Hungary.

In just 2022, 89.7% of the crimes registered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor's Office were solved. 85.3% of serious and especially serious crimes and 98.2% of violations of the law against personality were solved.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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