Main Organized Crime Department

Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Intensified Combat against Crime and Reinforcement of Law and Order (adopted on August 9, 1994) set forth the major responsibilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies concerned in the field of securing economic interests and political priorities of the state, protection of lives, health and property of individuals from criminal offences perpetrated primarily by organized criminal groups and illegitimate armed units, as well as prevention of graft and corruption. Pursuant to the Presidential Decree in question an Organized Crime Department was established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cope with the most dangerous types of criminal offences on a new institutional basis.

Following requirements of the National Action Plan on Combating Traffic in Human Beings in the Republic of Azerbaijan (adopted through the Presidential Directive of May 6, 2004) the Department on Combating Traffic in Human Beings was established within the Main Organized Crime Department in 2004.Pursuant to Decree No.83 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Institutional Amendments at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (signed on June 30, 2004) Organized Crime Department was upgraded to the level of main department.

Major duties of Main Organized Crime Department

Major duties of the Main Department are bound with combating organized crime in compliance with provisions of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and pursuant to regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This includes suppression of terrorism, banditry, hostage taking, extortion, uttering counterfeited currency and means of payment, traffic in human beings, as well as tackling other forms of organized transnational crime, prevention, exposure and investigation of criminal offences of this type.

The Main Department comprises division specialized in combating hostage taking and extortion, division dealing with banditry and other violent crimes, division in charge for tackling money counterfeit and forgery of payment documents, investigation division, institutional analysis division, operational unit, unit “A”, operational communication group, human resources group, duty service, security company and secretariat. Department for Combating Traffic in Human Beings, special task unit and provisional detention facility are among the services directly subordinate to the Main Department.

Responsibilities of the Main Organized Crime Department

• operations, search and investigation to be conducted in compliance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and normative documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• exposure, detection and neutralization of organized criminal groups and gangs;
• combat against banditry, kidnapping, hostage taking, extortion, money counterfeit uttering false payment documents and other forms of grave organized crime; exposure of criminal offences of this type and search for the perpetrators;
• combat against traffic in human beings, conduct of operations, search and preventive steps in this regard;
• intelligence gathering on criminal gangs involved in transnational crimes, including human traffic, illegal traffic in narcotic drugs and firearms, smuggle, etc., exposure of their regional and interstate contacts, data collection of illegitimate armed units, arrangement of special operations in this regard;
• collection and storage of data on organized crime, data analysis, studies of area police services’ performance in the field of combating organized crime, drafting manuals, decision-making on the level of managers;
• studies of preconditions supportive to organized criminal groups’ foundation and thriving, coping with these preconditions, drafting proposals to the MIA leadership on eradication of these conditions;
• following the procedure prescribed by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan arrangement of security guarantees for the parties involved in criminal proceedings and other persons concerned, including security measures for their immediate relatives and next to kin whenever necessary.