LocationsThe Government of Japan and UNDP donated 18 hybrid vehicles and 125 body cameras to the General Police Inspectorate
February 9, 2024
The police will be able to respond more quickly to emergencies and ensure public order thanks to the support of the Government of Japan, which has provided 18 hybrid vehicles and 125 body cameras. The equipment, worth a total of US$870,000, was procured through UNDP.
The donation is helping modernise police services to enhance the security of communities across the country by ensuring prompt intervention in remote locations.
The donated state-of-the-art and specially equipped vehicles will increase the mobility of the police services. The body cameras, which are widely used by police structures around the world, are distributed to 10 district inspectorates serving communities with large numbers of refugees from Ukraine, namely Anenii Noi, Bălți, Cahul, Căușeni, Cimișlia, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca and Ungheni. The devices will contribute both to increasing accountability of police officers and citizens and to documenting public order violations and collecting evidence.
“Trust between the police force and the citizens is a hallmark of a functioning democracy. Maintaining public order requires considerable discipline and training at the best of times. Doing so at a time of emergency when a real war is raging in your neighbouring country and a hybrid war in your own country is considerably more difficult. We hope that wearing body cameras will help make their policing job safer and more effective,” said Yoichiro Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Moldova.
Reducing police response time to 15 minutes by the end of 2024 is among the priorities of the Home Affairs Development Strategy for 2022-2030, and the donated cars will help achieve this. Data for the year 2022 indicates that the police response time to a 112 emergency call averaged approx. 26 minutes.
“As the police officers are often the first responders to community security emergencies, supporting the Police of Moldova to further enhance its capacity to improve public safety and security, prevent crime and violence, and protect human rights is an important part of UNDP and its partners’ work in Moldova. The donated equipment will assist police staff in reducing response time and in gathering evidence and maintaining public order whilst building accountability and trust,” said Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova.
The long-standing partnership between UNDP, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Police Inspectorate aims to build public confidence in the police through effective community policing, improved capacities and accountable law enforcement.
"Through strong partnerships and gestures of solidarity, the Republic of Moldova reaffirms its determination to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring the protection of human security and refugees in order to address today's multidimensional challenges. I express my gratitude to the Government of Japan and UNDP implementation team for their support. The equipment provided, including the 18 transport units and 125 body cameras, will enable the police to properly document public order violations and prevent emerging threats to road safety," said Adrian Efros, Minister of Interior Affairs.
“We thank our partners from the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Moldova and the United Nations Development Programme for the continuous bilateral collaboration and the significant support provided to the National Police. I assure you that the donation offered will contribute substantially to day-to-day police work and will increase the level of safety in the community,” notes Viorel Cernăuțeanu, Head of General Police Inspectorate.
The Government of Japan and UNDP are contributing to enhancing human security in Moldova through two projects, one of which is funded through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security.
