Azerbaijan

Functions and missions

Police is a unified centralized law enforcement body of the executive power of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The police force is under the authority is under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (hereafter the Ministry). The Ministry is a central authority performing in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the protection of public order, preservation of public security, prevention and detection of crimes.

The Ministry has the following main functions within the framework of authority delineated by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

• Organization of public order protection and public security preservation;
• Prevention of crimes and other legal violations, organization of detection and investigation of crimes;
• Organization of work on traffic safety;
• Organization of functioning of internal troops.

Structure and organisation

According to the regulations on the Ministry of Internal Affairs, approved by the Presidential Decree on 30 June 2001, the Ministry performs its duties either directly or through the bodies subordinated to it.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Internal Troops, territorial and specialized police units, regular police regiments, educational, training and medical institutions, National Central Bureau of Interpol in the Republic of Azerbaijan, sports societies, as well as other establishments compose the unified structural system of the Ministry.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has the following structures approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

1. General Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Secretariat (main department), Main Department of Organisational-Inspectorate, Duty Units Administration Service (department), Main Department of Crime Detention, Main Department of Investigation and Inquest, Main Department of Combating with Organized Crime, Main Department of Drug Enforcement, Internal Security Department, Main Department of Special Operational-search Activities, Main Department on Combating with Human Trafficking, Department of Criminalistic Researches, Main Department of Operational and Statistical Information, Main Department of Public Security, Main Department of Internal Troops, Main Department on Transport, Main Department of State Traffic Police, Main Department of Guarding, Main Department of Passport, Registration and Migration, Department of Mobilization and Civil Defense, National  Central Bureau of Interpol in the Republic of Azerbaijan (main department), Main Department of Human Resources, Department of International Cooperation, Main Department of Information and Communication, Press Service (department) , Financial-Planning Department, Main Department of Logistics, Medical Department, Commandant service (department), Sport Society (department);

2. The structural bodies included in the system of Ministry: the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Military Units and subdivisions of the Internal Troops, Higher Military School of the Internal Troops, Police Academy (department), School for training of rank-and-file and junior management officers, Special Riot Police Regiments and other regular police units, Man Police Department of Baku City, Main Police of Ganja city, other territorial and specialized police authorities and institutions.

Education/Training

The Police Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established on 23 May 1992 and is a higher educational institution under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Academy provides training of qualified personnel for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, by its authority and agreement, for other ministries, organizations and countries.

Oversight

The Internal Investigations Department is a separate unit within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). MIA officers supervise compliance with the law, human rights and civil liberties in executing their duties and conducting inquiries into complaints, completing applications and reports regarding the involvement of MIA officers in activities inconsistent with their office, violations of the law and illegal actions.

The Department comprises the Division in Charge of Complaints and Applications, the Organising/Analyzing Division and the Secretariat. The Department is directly subordinate to the Minister and reports directly to him. It is tasked to:

• conduct internal supervision over compliance with the law in internal affairs bodies;
• promote rehabilitation of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of physical and legal entities obstructed by actions of the officers of the bodies of Internal Affairs;
• carry out internal investigations of cases involving illegal actions or discrediting behavior of MIA officers while exercising their official duties;
• conduct pre-investigation inspections pertaining to official crimes (malfeasance), misconduct and other illegal acts committed or planned by MIA officers;
• provide protection of rights and interests of MIA officers specified by the legislation.

Functions and missions

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Border Service (SBS) was established on July 31, 2002. SBS is the body of the central executive power and reports directly to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The main tasks of the SBS are as followings:

• Ensuring protection and the integrity of state borders;
• Combating international terrorism;
• Combating illegal migration;
• Suppression of the illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons and ammunition, as well as weapons of mass destruction and its components;
• Ensuring the safety of hydrocarbon deposits and oil and gas infrastructure in the Caspian Sea.

Structure and organisation

The structure of the SBS constitutes the Apparatus, the Border Troops (includes division and border detachments), The Special Forces (including the Aviation Detachment), the Coast Guard, the Border Control, the Academy of SBS, Training Centers, Special School, as well as logistic units.

Education/Training

The multilevel education system has been established at SBS with the purpose of training of professional border guards. This system incorporates the Academy of SBS, Migration Training Centre, the Training Center of the Coast Guard, The Field Training Center, and Training Centers for improvement of the vocational training of contract-serviceman.

Functions and missions

The State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan Republic is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of customs clearance for imports and exports, and regulation of all customs activities within Azerbaijan Republic. The main functions of the committee are enforcing the customs policy and preparing the development program for customs activity in the Republic of Azerbaijan; preparation of economic programs and licensing of goods and commodities passing through customs check points; collection of taxes and tariffs on goods passing through the border; issuance of certificates; arranging registration of cargo and transport; applying the Single Window and the Green Corridor mechanisms; prioritizing seamless movement of goods and facilitation of trade; simplifying and harmonizing transportation; developing and fostering modernized transit system; applying integrated border management mechanisms; applying risk-based management systems; proving safety and security standards; establishing sustainable mechanisms for the efficient management of the goods and vehicles’ flow on the borders; enforcing safety and security measures within the scope of international supply chain security for the detection of threats customs criminal offences, as well as administrative offences and other offences against customs rules, preventing illicit trafficking in drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, weapons, ozone-depleting substances, cultural, historical and archaeological riches of nations, objects of intellectual property rights, endangered animals and plant species and other goods carried through on the Customs border-crossing points and preventing human traffickers, also victims of human trafficking from passing through the customs border-crossing points according to the legislation.

Education/Training

The Academy of the State Customs Committee was established in 2012 with the purpose of ensuring the preparation of highly qualified personnel, thereby increasing the qualifications of the officers and other citizens.  Its main scope of activity includes:

• Preparation of highly qualifies staff in various specialists on Bachelor level;
• Organization of customs training courses for people of other professions, who are seeking employment in custom bodies;
• Organization of courses for individuals and employees of the companies that are customers of the State Customs Committee in order to provide knowledge on customs regulations;
• Organization of additional training courses for those, who work for the State Customs Committee and are willing to obtain certification;
• Organization of courses on legislation, e-governance systems, ethical conduct rules and military training for the individuals accepted for employment by Customs service with the view of vocational training;
• Preparation of tutorials for the training of specialists and for their usage during courses;
• Arranging seminars in the Regional Office for Capacity building for the World Customs Organization Europe Region with a view to increase the level of proficiency of customs personnel.

Functions and missions

The State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan was instituted by the Decree No 706 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev, dated December 12, 2015, the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On National Security", "On foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence Activity", "On Operational-Investigation  Activity", "On State Secrets", “On combating terrorism” and other legislative acts, the Statute of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, decrees and orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, resolutions and orders of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, also international agreements to which the Republic of Azerbaijan is a signatory in the framework of the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan form up the legal basis of the activities of The State Security Service. These activities are realized by observing human and civil rights and freedoms, humanism, the principle of responsibility for the state and society.

Structure and organisation

The State Security Service comprises the State Security office, the bodies within the system of State Security Service and the local bodies of State Security Service.

Education/Training

The State Security Service’s Academy named after Heydar Aliyev was established by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 1, 1998. It is a special high education institution that conducts graduate programs and advanced training courses in order to prepare professional high-educated officers for the establishments, and organizers researches in fundamental and applied sciences. The International Anti-terror Training Center is a department of The State Security Service that organizes training and seminars, conducts courses and exercises on countering terrorism and transnational organized crime.

Oversight

The State Security Service is accountable to the head of the executive power (the President Republic of Azerbaijan) of the country. In accordance with the article 22 of the Law "On foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence Activity", the oversight of the mentioned activities comprises of the internal control and the supervision by the head of the executive power of the State, the respective security and intelligence bodies control the conformity of their activities with the law "On Operational-Investigation  Activity", and the prosecutor’s offices, as well as courts, control the conformity of their investigative activities with the Criminal Code and the legal proceedings.

Electronic Security Center (ESC) under Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (MCHT) was established pursuant to the 5th part of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan № 708, dated September 26, 2012. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on additional measures to improve management in transport, communications and high technologies field, dated January 12, 2018, the Center was included in the structure of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies as the Electronic Security Service. ESS is a coordinating state authority, which provides coordination of the activity of the entities of information infrastructure, awareness about existing e-dangers (and which can be arisen) on a country level, education of the population, private entities and other organizations in the field of cybersecurity and also provides methodical assistance.

ESS carries out following activities:

 to coordinate the activity of entities of information infrastructure in the area of cybersecurity;

• to collect and analyze information from users, manufacturers of  software, hardware and technical equipment, analogical structures in foreign countries and other sources about cyber-attacks, trespassing, malicious computer programs (hereafter referred as electronic threats of danger) directed against security of  information systems and networks, computer equipment and their software, local and corporative information systems and resources;
• to carry out notification of existing and potential cyber threats, to raise awareness of  users on issues of cyber-security;
• to prepare instructions and recommendations about the programs, technical facilities to be used against users and provide methodological support to counter cyber threats;
• to implement  preventive measures in collaboration with the national Internet operator and MCHT to repel cyber-attacks in the global Internet traffic;
• to cooperate with other relevant bodies operating in the country to provide preparedness for cybersecurity.