RA Ministry of Internal Affairs` seismic protection network to begin  next year

ArmInfo.  The Ministry of Internal Affairs is scheduled to receive 102.6 billion drams in 2026. This was announced on November 3 by RA Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan at a meeting of the joint committees of the National  Assembly, where next year's state budget is being discussed.

According to him, the planned allocations to the Ministry of Internal  Affairs are 2.3 billion drams less than in 2025. The decrease in  funding is primarily due to the reduction in two programs: internal  education at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and policy monitoring  and control within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In turn, RA Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan announced  that 101.4 billion drams will be allocated for current expenses next  year, and 1.2 billion drams for capital expenditures. She added that  current expenses will increase by 2.3 billion drams in 2026, due to  the employee certification process. Bonuses are also planned for next  year for civil servants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which  were not paid this year. In connection with the formation of the  Police Guard, an increase in food expenses for service employees is  envisaged.

Sargsyan also reported that, as part of the loan program, the  modernization of the seismic protection network is planned to begin  next year. Specifically, six geological and chemical stations and 13  types of critical equipment will be created. This will allow the  Seismic Protection Service to perform more accurate calculations,  ensuring more precise forecasts. New vehicles will be purchased for  the Rescue Service, including equipment for fire and rescue services.

The minister noted that, based on the results of the first nine  months of this year, there was an increase in latent crime in the  republic. For example, the number of drug-related crimes increased by  391, while the number of illegal arms and ammunition trafficking  cases increased by 249. At the same time, the number of serious and  especially serious crimes decreased by 0.7%. Concurrently, the crime  detection rate for general crime increased by 3.5%, for serious  crimes by 5.3%, and for especially serious crimes by 9.9%.

Speaking about homicides, Sargsyan emphasized that they are primarily  related to domestic issues, and the homicide rate continues to trend.  Homicides account for 0.2% of all crimes committed. This year, 1,443  vehicle thefts were also recorded, a 5.4% decrease compared to the  same period last year. During the reporting period, patrols  identified 16 groups stealing car parts and four groups engaged in  extortion. The minister also reported a 10.7% increase in road  accidents. At the same time, the number of road traffic fatalities  decreased by 43.