“Being a Manager and having the duty and responsibility to ensure the normal work of the department, I am obliged to be with the staff and fulfill my official duties,” Mr. Davit Kirakosyan, Head of the Third Investigative Division of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan city, second class counselor of justice said within the framework of  Iravaban.net‘s “Investigator Presents”  series of interviews of Iravaban.net.

-Mr. Kirakosyan, with what indicators did you summarize the year 2023 and what do you consider to be the biggest achievement or success of the department you led during the past year?

– I will honestly say that during 2023 a large-scale work was done in the investigative department and we ended the year with a positive result. However, we aim to organize the work of investigators and the investigation department in general more dynamically and quickly. During the year 2023, one of the greatest achievements of the department, as the head of the department, is considered to be the increase in dedication of investigators to their work, the unity of investigators in achieving common results. As a result of consistent work, we have implemented effective mechanisms to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals and the state, which I also highly appreciate.

– What priorities have you set for yourself for 2024?   

– One of the priorities for 2024 is the use of the new tools introduced to increase the efficiency of work in the investigative department, the improvement of the work carried out in the direction of increasing the professional knowledge of investigators. It is also an important priority for us to take more active measures towards the completion of the preliminary investigation of the economic, corruption and long-standing criminal proceedings that are still under investigation in the investigative department.

– At the age of 32, the father of 3 children and head of the investigative department. To what extent do you manage to faithfully fulfill both official and family responsibilities under the current workload?

-Actually, the third investigative department of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts, considering the nature and volume of criminal proceedings, is overloaded. In such conditions, the investigators have to perform the service until late in the evening, and on duty days, around the clock. Being the head and having the duty and responsibility to ensure the normal work of the department, I am obliged to be with the staff and fulfill my official duties.

Maybe not as much as I would like, but I fulfill my family responsibilities as well. My family members are understanding and have adapted to my work schedule. And in this sensei can say that they equally share the difficulties of service with me. I try to spend more time with the latter on non-working days, if possible, and thus make up for the lack. In fact, combining work and family requires a lot of daily work, not only from the investigator, but also from anyone who works in law enforcement system.

– You have been in charge of the third investigation department of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan since 24 January, 2022. Summarizing your almost two years of office, can you remember the main work carried out during that time, which ensured a significant result?

– As a result of constant and consistent work with the staff, it was possible to achieve an increase in the level of discipline of investigators, who perform their work duties with the highest level of responsibility, display a conscientious and compassionate attitude towards the service. Despite the legislative changes, higher requirements for conducting procedural and evidentiary actions, the investigators managed to make a smooth transition and work in line with the new changes. I consider the strictest and uncompromising approach to the fight against illegal drug trafficking, the application of the strictest deterrence measures to the persons involved in it, as a significant achievement by the investigative department, as a result of which, judging by the number and nature of the cases received during the duty, there is a tendency to decrease similar crimes, which proves the effectiveness of the struggle in that field.

-As a department head, how do you approach making drastic, turnaround-oriented decisions in this area if they are risky but also necessary? 

– I think every good manager should be able to make drastic decisions. When making any decision, it is important to understand the problem so that you can make a solution-oriented decision.

The modern world has long since moved to a risk-based approach, which implies priority targeting of the most risky areas. At the same time, before making drastic decisions, it is necessary to ensure to possible extent that the methods and measures used are effective and aimed at curbing residual risks in the given area. In my daily work with investigators, I try to instill in them the ability to make risky decisions when necessary, while at the same time observing that such decisions are reasonable and legal.

– In this regard, do you have specific measures that, according to you, will further increase the effectiveness of the work of the department and investigators? 

– In my opinion, an effective manager has a personal interest in the long-term development of his employees and uses all his skills to inspire the employee to perform at his best.

Both individual and team work is important for increasing the work efficiency of each employee. It is necessary to understand the weak and strong points of each person, to make a personal development plan. I emphasize the existence of such a working environment where every investigator feels him/her as part of the team, self-improves in an atmosphere of healthy competition, without losing human qualities. Among the measures to increase the effectiveness of the investigators’ work is the regular organization and holding of professional discussions by the head of the department and deputies with the staff on specific criminal proceedings, the control over the execution of the preliminary investigation in criminal proceedings, the assignments received, the taking of measures by the investigators to acquire new professional knowledge.

– Mr. Kirakosyan, there was a deep-rooted opinion that young personnel and specialists should not aspire to high positions on the grounds that they may lack experience. Before being appointed head of the department, you worked for about 10 years in the law enforcement system, first in the Police, then in the Investigative Committee as an investigator, senior investigator, IGC  investigator… Do you share that opinion?

– In order to be a skilled leader, a person must possess a number of business qualities, among which I highly value leadership. Effective management is difficult without this quality. At the same time, I will highlight some other characteristics that are also essential to being a good leader, namely, an individual must be results-oriented, willing to teach and guide, allow employees to make decisions and not involve in micromanagement, have a clear strategy and vision for the work of the team, and finally have professional knowledge and skills in the field. Therefore, I emphasize the presence and correct balancing of both qualitative and professional qualities of a person. Of course, experience is an important factor for working in high, especially management positions. I can happily state that a number of young people serve in the Investigative Committee, who, thanks to their professional and human qualities, have gained enough experience in a short period of time to perform their official duties in high positions properly and with quality.

– How, in your opinion, should a person who has just assumed the position of an investigator compensate for the lack of years of experience in order to achieve success and perform work duties effectively?

– In order for the newly appointed investigators to gain work experience in the shortest period of time, to carry out the proper implementation of their professional duties in a short period of time, the Investigative Committee pays great attention to the establishment of the institute of specialization manager and increasing its efficiency. This is a very effective way for newly appointed investigators to gain professional experience and integrate into the difficult and responsible work of an investigator in the possibly shortest time. In that context, I also emphasize the correct planning of the work carried out by the direct manager of the newly appointed investigator and the constant control over them.

– What should or can motivate the investigator to demonstrate conscientiousness, fairness and efficiency in his/her work? Do you consider the salary increase sufficient for that?

– To demonstrate these qualities, increasing the salary is an effective, but not sufficient, means. I find that every investigator must first love his work, be dedicated to the service, and approach it with a high sense of responsibility. Otherwise, it will not be possible to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the preliminary investigation, which will lead to the violation of human rights.

– And at the end, a few brief questions: the position, for you…

– It is the best opportunity to lead the team, to understand the strengths of the members of the investigation department and to realize the work objectives, and ultimately to serve to the motherland.

-Tactical, strategic feature that you think the investigator should have during the interrogation.

– Before the interrogation, the investigator should be informed as much as possible about the biographical data of the interrogated person, his positive and negative aspects, by which he will form an idea about the interrogation tactics and the credibility of the testimony given by the interrogated person.

-An expression that you often use or say to your colleagues as a manager. 

– I myself have never caught me saying something often. Maybe my colleagues have noticed such a tendency. My main point is always about increasing the efficiency of work, ensuring the rights of the person and increasing the quality of investigation of criminal proceedings. In this sense, perhaps, I urge most often to do the work of the investigator with dedication, because I consider it the source of patriotism, which is in the professional and service sphere.