The General Police Inspectorate () is the national civilian police force of the

Republic of Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised ...

. It is a state institution subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that regulates law enforcement in

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. The current Chief of the General Police Inspectorate is currently Viorel Cernăuțeanu.

History

The GPI was established as the Police of the Republic of Moldova on 13 September 1990, after the

Government of Moldova The government of Moldova () is the government of the Republic of Moldova. It is housed in the Government House at the Great National Assembly Square in Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, cap ...

adopted resolution no. 321 "On the reform of the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Moldovan SSR", which provided for the creation of the police and district police stations. Thus, the place of the Soviet-era

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

was occupied by the new police. On 18 December 1990, the

Parliament of Moldova The parliament of the Republic of Moldova () is the supreme representative body of the Republic of Moldova, the only state legislative authority, being a unicameral structure composed of 101 elected MPs on lists, for a period or legislature o ...

adopted the Law on police. In 1995 the national police of

were under the direction of the Ministry of Interior. Internal troops were reported to have 2,500 men, and the numbers of

riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...

were put at 900. The scope and quality of Moldova's state security apparatus were difficult to determine. Like the armed forces, local assets of the former Moldavian KGB were transferred to the new government along with those personnel who wished to enter the service of the new government. These elements functioned at the time under the republic's Ministry of National Security before being transferred to the MAI. On 27 December 2012, a law which entered into force on 5 March 2013 established the General Police Inspectorate under the MIA. On 24 April 2013, the new police uniform was approved. On 8 April 2014, the Strategic Development Program was approved, a basic document of the Police, elaborated for a period of 3 years, which ensures the prioritization of the various objectives for the IGP.

Organization

As a law enforcement body of state power, the police of the Republic of Moldova are divided into state and municipal. State police perform their duties throughout the republic, municipal - in the territory of the corresponding administrative unit. State and municipal police carry out their tasks in close cooperation. The State Police provides the municipal police with methodological and advisory assistance, as well as assists in the implementation of the duties assigned to it by their own forces and means. The municipal police assist the state police in carrying out operational investigative measures, timely inform them of the persons and facts of interest to them. Учебник для доуниверситетского образования Александру Бородак ОСНОВЫ ГОСУДАРСТВА И ПРАВА РЕСПУБЛИКИ МОЛДОВА Кишинэу «Ştiinţa» 1998 Institutions under the GPI are: *National Inspectorate of Investigations *National Inspectorate for Public Security *Police Department of Chisinau Municipality *General Directorate of Criminal Investigation * Special Forces Brigade "Fulger" *Chinologic Center *Technical-Forensic Center and Judicial Expertise *Center for International Police Cooperation (

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

) *Judicial Police *Procurement and Logistics Service *Directorate of Inspection *42 police inspectorates at district level

Recognition

On the inspectorate's 30th anniversary in 2017, the Police Directorate of the Chisinau Municipality was awarded by President

Igor Dodon Igor Dodon (; born 18 February 1975) is a Moldovan politician who served as the 5th president of Moldova from 2016 to 2020. He currently serves as the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova since 2024. He served as Ministry ...

the

Order of Ștefan cel Mare The Order of Stephen the Great () is a state award of Moldova, established on 30 June 1992. It is the highest military order of the nation. It is named after Stephen III of Moldavia, who was the Voivode of Moldavia from 1457 and 1504. List of re ...

Uniform

The IGP has a summer outfit, a spring-autumn outfit and a winter outfit. The parade dress is worn during the participation in the festivities (taking the oath, awarding of ministerial and departmental distinctions, march pasts, national holidays, and official receptions).

Controversial issues

Public perception

The common lack of respect towards law, in general, among Moldovans results in a predominant distrust for police. This is not helped by the fact that police incompetency due to various reasons is frequent.

Ill-treatment by police

Moldova is not a part of the EU, but as of 2024, it started negotiations after it applied for membership in 2022. According to

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

in October 2007, torture and ill-treatment in Moldova remain widespread and systemic despite some initial legislative steps made by the government to change police practices in order to eradicate it. "Although efforts have been made to bring legislation into line with international and European standards, practice and attitudes are lagging behind. Beatings and abuse of detainees remain the norm. Channels for seeking redress stay blocked. Lack of transparency breeds impunity," Amnesty Internationals researcher said. The events during the April 2009 Moldova civil unrest have drawn criticism of human rights violations, including in regard to the deaths of Valeriu Boboc, Ion Ţâbuleac, and Eugen Ţapu.

References

External links

Internal Affairs Ministry

Moldova Police (IGP)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Law Enforcement In Moldova