Traffic police checking driving licences in Tây Ninh Province. The public security force will exercise the authority to issue criminal records, taking over from the National Centre for Criminal Records under the Ministry of Justice. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) will take over five groups of State management tasks from other ministries and agencies starting from March 1, after the ministry’s new structure was approved, said Deputy Minister of Public Security Trần Quốc Tỏ on Friday.

The public security ministry will be responsible for supervising network information security, which had previously been managed by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The MPS’ Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention has been assigned to take over this task.

The ministry's Department of Immigration Management will also oversee aviation security, which had previously been supervised by the Ministry of Transport.

The public security ministry has assigned the immigration departments of 17 provinces and centrally-run cities with airports to perform this task at the local level.

State management of drug addiction treatment and post-rehabilitation will be transferred to the MPS from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The MPS’ Department of Drug Crime Investigation will take over those tasks.

Local drug crime investigation departments of provinces and centrally-run cities will perform the task at the local level and directly organise drug addiction treatment within the locality.

The MPS’ Traffic Police Department will manage the testing and issuance of road motor vehicle driving licences, taking over from the Ministry of Transport.

Commune-level public security forces with sufficient facilities are qualified to receive applications for changing and re-issuing driving licences at the local level.

The MPS’ Department of Professional Records will exercise the authority to issue criminal records, taking over from the National Centre for Criminal Records under the Ministry of Justice.

Specific administrative procedures for each field will be implemented immediately after the decisions on new tasks take effect and will be announced in detail on the online information portals of the MPS and local public security units.

Under the new structure, the local public security apparatus has been streamlined from three to two levels (provincial and commune levels).

Major General Phạm Quang Tuyển, deputy director of the MPS’ Department of Personnel Organisation, said the local police force has only two levels because the commune-level police have met basic requirements. Streamlining the apparatus is also meant to create favourable conditions to increase direct combat forces at the grassroots level.

He said the provincial police will comprehensively resolve all issues along with general security and order in each locality. In addition to ensuring security and order at the grassroots level, commune-level police will directly handle many administrative procedures. VNS