Starting from the beginning of this year, the building and working conditions of all units of the Investigative Committee have been thoroughly studied, comprehensive analyzes have been made and various programs have been drawn up to make these conditions better, as well as to contribute to the activities of the Committee units, in the directions of improving the working conditions of investigators. Karen Margaryan, Secretary General of the RA Investigative Committee, said in an interview with Iravaban.net.

According to him, the priority direction of activity is the improvement of working conditions in the system.

– Mr. Margaryan, you have been holding the position of the Secretary General of the Investigative Committee for a year now. What programs and initiatives have you managed to implement during this time?

– First of all, let me thank you for the interview and emphasize that among our daily and continuous work, the Investigative Committee also places great importance on initiatives aimed at providing public awareness of the structure’s activities, and I would like to consider this interview in that context.

The system of the Investigative Committee has a rather multi-layered structure, which includes an equally extensive economy, and the main emphasis of our activity is directed to its effective management.

Let me say that from the very beginning we chose two main directions of activity. Ensuring normal and uninterrupted work aimed at proper support of the system of the Committee and secondly, developing more flexible approaches in line with the requirements of the time in order to increase the efficiency of the activity of the professional structural units supporting the structure.

According to the relevant instructions of the Chairman of the Committee, from the beginning of this year, the building and working conditions of all units of the system were carefully studied, comprehensive analyzes of the evaluation of efficiency were performed and various programs were drawn up to make these conditions better, as well as to contribute to the activities of the units of the Committee, in the directions of improving the working conditions of investigators.

A certain part of the mentioned programs has already started, and the remaining part will be the main focus of our future activities.

In the current year, the Committee, among other significant processes, also organized some works of special importance, which I would like to address in particular. In order to properly organize investigative activities subject to mandatory video recording provided by the new RA Criminal Procedure Code, video recording devices were purchased with the funding of the state budget and distributed to investigators, and the garrison units of the General Military Investigative Department were equipped with new special purpose vehicles. I am sure that both of these directions brought a new modernity to the structure’s activity. շ

– You mentioned that the building conditions of the Committee system were also considered. What concrete works have been done to improve these conditions?

With the funding of the RA Government, within the framework of the allocations provided from the state budget to the Investigative Committee for 2023, the new building assigned to the 6th Garrison Investigative Department of the General Military Investigative Department in the Getahovit community of Tavush Marz was completely reconstructed and renovated. The new buildings allocated to the Investigative Departments of the Ajapnyak and Davtashen administrative districts of the Yerevan city Investigative Department, the Stepanavan Investigative Departments of the Lori marz Investigative Department, as well as the area allocated for the location of the Committee’s archive, which will soon be commissioned.

This year, the construction process of the heating system of the administrative building of the 3rd Garrison Investigation Department of the General Military Investigative Department (Sisian), as well as the construction of the technical laboratory of the Department of Investigation of Cybercrime and High Technology Crime of the General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases has already been completed.

Ongoing renovations were also organized in the administrative buildings of the Tavush Regional Investigative Department and the Vedi residence of the 8th Garrison Investigative Department.

In the current year, the renovation of the new administrative building allocated to the Investigative Committee on Khanjyan Street in Yerevan is also planned.

In terms of construction and renovation work, the year was quite saturated, and I am sure that working conditions will be significantly improved in all the listed units, providing all the necessary opportunities and resources for the organization of effective pre-examination work.

I should add that we managed to provide new furniture, necessary technical equipment and create a working environment that meets the requirements and logic of the time in all the listed administrative buildings.

Along with all this, I should mention that there are also other administrative buildings that need urgent renovation. Necessary preparatory works are already being carried out in this direction.

– Mr. Margaryan, the employees of the professional structural units supporting the Committee are mostly civil servants, and how would you rate their work?

The professional structural units supporting the Committee are staffed by both civil servants and maintenance personnel, and ensuring their effective operation is also a key component of our program priorities.

We have already managed to completely solve the process of transferring the professional structural units supporting the Committee and the employees included in the latter to the civil service system, classifying civil service positions, as well as implementing new recruitments as a result of open and transparent external tenders, and I must emphasize that as a result of this work it was also possible to provide noticeable regulations in the functions of these supporting units and reach the desired results.

I consider it necessary to emphasize that the Chairman of the Investigative Committee attaches great importance to the proportionate development of the main professional investigative and supporting structural units of the structure, the provision of favorable conditions for all employees, and necessary steps and actions are continuously implemented in that direction.

Based on the guidelines of the policy implemented by the Chairman of the Committee, we are currently developing new standards of activity of civil servants and technical maintenance employees of the structure, thanks to which we will be able to have a significant role in the field of normal activity of the pre-examination body, fully complying with modern requirements and more flexible operating support divisions.

– In your speech, you mentioned that the system of the Investigative Committee is a large economy that requires extensive work. What steps are you taking to innovate in that large economy?

– The economy of our structure has its own characteristics, and we try to match all steps and actions to the characteristics of the Committee. In order to ensure economic management in line with the requirements of the time, we naturally use various electronic tools, adding new models and ideas for digitizing the economy to the existing software and technical capabilities.

Along with the information, archive, document turnover, financial and accounting electronic systems of human resources management successfully operating in the Committee, we plan to start digitalizing the logistics sector and to make the electronic environment more complete in that field in the near future, and we believe that this will significantly contribute to the improvement and modernization of the economic sector.

I think we all know that one of the best and most effective management tools is the digitization of various functions and the expansion of electronic tools, and we are going that way having the aim of creating a quality economic sector for the Investigative Committee.

– What kind of new programs do you have in the spheres of the Investigative Committee that are within your scope of functions?

– I have already said that we aim to allocate more space to the introduction of new electronic management systems in the supporting part of the Committee system, but at the same time, we also attach great importance to the continuous improvement of human resources and intellectual potential. We tend to be fresh to communicate the service qualities of the employees operating in the support sector, to apply new models in the field of daily activities of the support professional units, to continuously improve the working conditions of the system employees; we will attach much importance to the technical re-equipment and saturation of the system. We should try to bring the breath of the time to the work of the supporting part of the Investigative Committee, to take steps in the direction of transforming people’s psychology and ideas, as well as working methodologies.

To present the supporting part of the committee more vividly, I should mention that the divisions included in the latter are personnel management, financial (including procurement and accounting departments), as well as external relations, protocol and organizational affairs departments, first, archive, organization of translations, computer and technical departments. security, logistical support, document circulation, citizen reception and passport departments, supporting professional structural units included in the General Military Investigative Department, the General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases, the General Department of Investigation of Smuggling and Economic Crimes, the Investigative Department of the city of Yerevan, regional Investigative Departments. In honor of the employees of these departments, I must note that they successfully fulfill the tasks assigned to them and make every effort to ensure the required work within the framework of their powers and functions.

– In which case would you consider that the supporting part of the Committee is fully effective?

– The Investigative Committee is currently undergoing an extremely important stage of reforms: introduction of the electronic preliminary investigation system, modernization of investigative activities, expansion of the Committee’s structure and functions, and all this brings with it new demands to the supporting sector, and it is expected that the latter should act in line with spirit and logic of these reforms.

And when we manage to provide activities consistent with all of that, I will consider that we have fully succeeded and reached the full efficiency of the supporting sector.

– Mr. Margaryan, you have held various government positions. Does your background and experience in the public sector help you to perform the functions of the General Secretary properly?

– I have been working in the state administration system for about 20 years and I can confidently state that loving the state work and fulfilling all its functions with love is a very important factor. Success can never be achieved if working in that system is just a duty.

Of course, all my experience in the public sector today greatly contributes to the implementation of the functions of the Secretary General of the Investigative Committee, but the public sector has a golden rule – it is the principle of continuous learning and self-education, without which it is impossible to build a successful work model.

–  Karen Margaryan is a journalist by profession, has your profession helped while working in the state system?

– It naturally has helped and is helping. Professional knowledge of a journalist allows observing different situations, people and phenomena from different angles and most importantly gives the opportunity to continuously analyze it all, and we know very well that the basis of effective decision-making is multi-faceted analysis.

I have always valued my profession and I respect all professional journalists.

– What place do you give to human relationships during work?

– It is impossible to imagine quality work without good human relations. I have always considered and consider that the main guarantee of achievements in all work processes, in various work situations, in the most direct sense of the word, is good human relations.

If you will surround yourself by such relationships, you will be able to act successfully, manage successfully, and achieve good results. Otherwise, everything is arranged differently.

– What kind of advice do you often give to your colleagues?

– Act with dedication. Dedication to work is the key to all success.

– What is your main principle at work?

– Importance of all visible and invisible layers of work.