National Assembly (NA) deputies on June 14 approved the restructuring of the public security apparatus while discussing the draft revision of the Law on the People’s Public Security Force.— VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) deputies on June 14 approved the restructuring of the public security apparatus while discussing the draft revision of the Law on the People’s Public Security Force.

Deputy Tô Văn Tám from the Central Highland province of Kon Tum said that with the draft revision, the Public Security Ministry will be adding commune police into the people’s public security force. Thus, it was not necessary to develop another law for the commune police.

On June 7, Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm presented the draft law to the NA’s plenary meeting, proposing that commune police no longer work part-time as regulated by current laws. Moreover, he said Government should now develop a regular commune police force.

Lâm said that regular commune police are available in 1,065 communes nationwide while 8,516 communes have none.

He added that the ministry would send about 25,000 regular police to communes and the Government will reshuffle the head and vice head of the commune police.

At the meeting, Deputy Trần Văn Mão of Nghệ An Province said that an improved commune police would help to better ensure social order and security at the grassroots level, while ensuring human rights and citizens’ rights are upheld.

He said that at the grassroots level, Việt Nam faces many problems including complaints and conflicts relating to land use and management, and the negative impacts of urbanisation and industrialisaton.

The current commune police force is insufficient both in numbers and expertise, resulting in an insufficient capacity to address such issues.

Mão called for a roadmap to improve the commune police force to avoid sudden major changes to its current state.

The Law on People’s Public Security was approved by the National Assembly in 2014 and took effect in July, 2015. — VNS