Major General Hayk Babayan appointed Commander of newly formed Police Guard

Major General Hayk Babayan has been appointed Commander of the Police Guard, the newly established civilian national guard replacing the interior troops, previously known as police troops.

Major General Babayan had served as commander of the Police Troops since November 2020 until formally being dismissed on October 31.

He was appointed head of the newly formed body by decree of Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, the ministry reported.

The formation of the Police Guard has been in progress for many years as part of ongoing reforms. The move will consolidate the current Police Troops, the General Department of State Protection of Police, and accompanying police battalions into a single national police force known as the Police Guard.

The national police guard’s functions will include maintaining public order and safety, protecting state structures and other critical sites, providing security for transporting special cargo, supporting the security details of high-ranking government officials, and ensuring the safety of visiting foreign delegations. Among other duties, the Police Guard can also be activated during martial law to carry out special tasks.