Armenia is doing better in detecting crimes, which, though, have been on the rise this year, according to the country’s police chief.

Alik Sargsyan spoke to law faculty and students at Yerevan State University Tuesday to present reforms in the police system to its potential future specialists.

The police chief, in particular, spoke about promoting public confidence in police as a way of increasing the efficiency of the system’s work to combat crime, strengthen public order and defend citizens’ rights.

Sargsyan said that the data for the first nine months of 2009 show that a total of 7,960 crimes were registered, compared to 5,600 cases registered in the same period of last year. The police chief, however, said he was not inclined to consider it alarming.

“Along with the rise in the number of crimes, the percentage of crime detection has obviously increased,” he said.

Sargsyan said that on the rise are also so-called latent crimes – drug dealing, illegal arms possession and trafficking, etc. The police chief also said that serious work is done to fight corruption and he pledges every effort to make reform in the police system visible already in two years’ time.

To a student’s remark that the reason why the public does not trust police is that “it is corrupt, serves the state rather than the public and its employees get low salaries, Sargsyan said: “I see the state and the people in the same plane.”

“Can you name one country where police do not serve the state? I serve the state as far as I serve our people. They shouldn’t be surprised that we execute the president’s orders. But whose orders should we execute? Perhaps you tell me? There is nothing surprising in it,” said Sargsyan.

Sargsyan, at the same time, says that efforts are being made to find and bring to account those abusing official police powers within the system.

“Different such violations within our ranks have been found this year. Numerous cases have been sent to the special investigation service and many have been fired,” said Sargsyan.

The police chief said that police workers also need social and legal protection, because they also encounter social problems.

Sargsyan also expressed a hope that corruption and perceptions of corruption in the police system will drastically decrease as a result of efforts in this direction.

To the question why police often implement “pressure policy” against citizens during protest actions, the police chief said that they are in charge of public order protection and are guided by the law “On holding assemblies, public rallies, marches and demonstrations”.

“Let no opposition representative think that he can have a status in our city that will allow him to do everything,” warned Sargsyan.