Events

MINSK, 14 January (BelTA) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is satisfied with the performance of the Interior Ministry in 2013. Alexander Lukashenko said it as he received Interior Minister Igor Shunevich on 14 January, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian head of state.

Alexander Lukashenko commented on the awards that had recently been presented to the senior officials of the Belarusian law enforcement. The President emphasized that the awards were bestowed upon them for their work in the past year. “The Defense Ministry conducted a large-scale exercise, and this is to a large extent due to Defense Minister Yuri Zhadobin. Dozens of garrisons rose from the ashes and ruins and were reconstructed; our army is solid and has prospects – this is also to his credit,” the head of state said.

Chairman of the State Security Committee Valery Vakulchik was awarded for his considerable personal contribution to the establishment of the Investigation Committee.

Commenting on the award for the Interior Minister, the head of state noted that he got a good impression of the work of the police in 2013. “The police worked well. This is not praise. You know, I do not really like to praise people, however I need to do them justice,” the President said.

Alexander Lukashenko asked Igor Shunevich to tell him about existing issues within the ministry and the situation with human resources in view of the reorganization in the Interior Ministry and subordinated agencies. The head of state added that the performance of the Interior Ministry and other security agencies, the prosecutor's office will be reviewed later.

Interior Minister Igor Shunevich told the President about development prospects of the ministry and suggested ways to improve and reform the ministry.

Speaking about the Interior Ministry’s achievements in 2013, the minister noted that the general crime rate dropped. Last year, the number of reported crimes was down by nearly 12,000 over 2012. The number of repeat crimes and crimes committed by juveniles also reduced. According to Igor Shunevich, preventive work bore fruit.

The measures passed by the government helped reduce deaths and injuries sustained during road accidents. The number of speed infringement cases dropped by 26%, hence the number of deaths and injuries.

After hearing out the report of the Interior Minister, the head of state set several tasks for the near-term perspective and gave instructions to further improve the performance of the Interior Ministry.