Resolution No. 09/1998/NQ-CP on Strengthening Crime Prevention Work in the New Situation

RESOLUTION

On Strengthening Crime Prevention Work in the New Situation

In recent years, the Government has taken many urgent measures to strengthen security and social order and safety in the new situation; ministries, sectors, levels, and the entire population have actively responded and participated, leading to positive changes in social order and safety, achieving certain results, contributing to stabilizing the overall situation of the country.

However, the crime situation in our country currently still shows a trend of increasing and becoming more complex. The structure of criminal elements has changed, with laborers accounting for 70% of offenders, of which 30% are unemployed; the proportion of young people committing crimes is increasingly high. Particularly noteworthy is the organized crime such as corruption, smuggling, trafficking women and children, violent crimes like robbery, murder, assaulting public officials, hiring killers, protecting restaurants, and other criminal acts with thuggish and violent nature; causing serious consequences that cause great concern throughout society.

The above situation is due to many reasons but mainly because of the negative impacts of the market economy along with weaknesses in management in economic, cultural, and social aspects by state agencies, economic organizations, and social organizations. We have not accurately assessed the complexity and severity of the development of crime in the new period, failing to propose appropriate policies and measures to combat it. The legal system is not yet synchronized, the enforcement of laws is not strict enough, the coordination of activities among law enforcement agencies is insufficient, and many sectors and levels have not attached sufficient importance to participation in crime prevention and suppression work. A portion of cadres, including those from law enforcement agencies, have been corrupted, affecting the trust of the masses; preventive work against crime within families, schools, and communities has not been given adequate attention.

To create a strong shift in the effectiveness of combating various types of crime, to mobilize the comprehensive strength of the entire political system, and to enhance the responsibility of all sectors and levels in preventing and combating crime, the Government decides to implement the following policies and measures to guide crime prevention and suppression work in the new situation:

I. POLICIES AND MEASURES

1. Building and implementing mechanisms to mobilize the comprehensive strength of the entire political system, promoting the mass revolutionary movement, enhancing the responsibility and proactive role of sectors, mass organizations, social organizations, and all strata of the population in participating in crime prevention, detection, and suppression. Focus on preventing and suppressing corruption, smuggling, organized crime, professional criminals, thuggish and violent crimes, groups luring young people and students into drug use and addiction, crimes harming children, trafficking women and children.

2. Reforming and strictly implementing mechanisms for cooperation between law enforcement agencies; enhancing responsibility and fully utilizing the functions of state agencies, public service units, armed forces units, political organizations, and political-social organizations. Each sector should develop action programs, linking the implementation of socio-economic development plans with crime prevention and suppression, maintaining social order and safety, improving the quality and effectiveness of crime detection, investigation, and severe punishment.

Building the People's Public Security force and other law enforcement agencies truly clean and strong to effectively perform their core and vanguard roles in the fight against crime.

3. Building, supplementing, and perfecting the legal system and organizing propaganda and education to raise awareness of law compliance to serve the immediate and long-term struggle against crime effectively. Continuously improving the quality of management and education, rehabilitation of offenders through various forms, helping them reform and reintegrate into family and community life.

4. Enhancing international cooperation in crime prevention and suppression according to principles consistent with current domestic laws and international law, aligning with United Nations and INTERPOL anti-crime programs.

5. Ministries, sectors, and local people's committees must review and plan to continue guiding the implementation of legislative documents of the National Assembly, Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Government, and Prime Minister regarding crime prevention and suppression; fighting corruption, smuggling, and commercial fraud, strengthening traffic order and urban order management, managing cultural activities, eliminating social evils, effectively implementing Party and State regulations on thrift and anti-corruption to create a significant change in social order and crime prevention.

6. Making crime prevention and suppression a national program with specific project goals and contents aimed at mobilizing the comprehensive strength of the whole society into crime prevention and suppression work, gradually reducing crime. Creating a healthy living environment in society, raising awareness of respect for the law and the effectiveness of state management. In the short term, it is necessary to stop some dangerous types of crime, push back social evils such as drugs, gambling, prostitution, creating a clear change in social order and safety in major cities and key economic zones.

7. Continue to mobilize the masses to build a nationwide movement for participation in crime prevention, detection, denunciation, and struggle against criminal activities and social evils. Establish and implement regulations on cooperation to prevent crimes within families, schools, and society. Strengthen residential ward organizations, specialized and semi-specialized security forces, and grassroots mass organizations in communes and villages participating in the movement to protect national security. Organize management, education, and reform of offenders in the community. Enhance internal protection and asset protection at agencies, enterprises, and military units.

8. Use comprehensive measures to prevent, stop, and promptly and resolutely suppress dangerous crimes such as organized crime, corruption, smuggling, murder, robbery, child abuse offenses (child rape, kidnapping and trafficking of children, luring children into drug use and addiction), etc. Continue to improve detention work; enhance the effectiveness of prisoner education and rehabilitation.

II. ASSIGNMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES IN CRIME PREVENTION AND COMBATTANCE WORK

To implement the policies and measures mentioned above, the Government requires ministries, sectors, and local people's committees to have plans to guide and coordinate with the Steering Committee to effectively perform tasks according to the following assignments:

1. The Ministry of Public Security shall take the lead and cooperate with relevant ministries and sectors to enhance the effectiveness of state management measures for public security, consolidate professional forces directly involved in crime prevention and suppression, especially those at the grassroots level, neighborhood watch groups, specialized and semi-specialized security forces of agencies and enterprises; promote mass movements for national security protection, continuously mobilize the masses to attack and suppress crimes; promptly detect, prevent, and combat dangerous crimes; coordinate with the internal affairs sector to conduct investigations, prosecutions, and trials of criminals in a timely manner; study and forecast crime situations, propose policies and appropriate measures to combat crimes.

2. The Ministry of National Defense is responsible for preventing and stopping crimes among military personnel, coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security and other law enforcement agencies to combat crimes in border areas and at sea; inspect the management and use of weapons and explosives in non-military sectors and recover illegally stored and used weapons and explosives; direct main force troops, local forces, and self-defense militia to coordinate with public security forces in preventing and combating crimes both within and outside the military.

3. The State Audit Office is responsible for organizing effective inspection and supervision work to prevent and stop violations of laws; coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security and other law enforcement agencies to organize inspections and supervision of the compliance with laws by ministries, sectors, and localities, contributing to preventing and combating corruption and other violations of laws.

4. The General Department of Customs is responsible for combating smuggling and commercial fraud at ports, airports, and docks within its functions, coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security and related sectors to firmly block reactionary, harmful, and violent-inciting cultural products, sources of drug trafficking, weapons, explosives, and flammable materials.

5. The General Department of Tourism is responsible for preventing and stopping crimes and social evils at tourist sites, hotels, guesthouses, and lodges under its management; coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security, related sectors, and local people's committees to manage foreign visitors, ensuring social order and safety.

6. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is responsible for directing mass media organs to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice and related sectors to intensify legal education and publicity work; awareness of respecting and enforcing laws, citizens' responsibilities in crime prevention and suppression; through various forms of art, widely disseminate exemplary models of good deeds in crime prevention and suppression; promptly reflect negative phenomena, helping specialized agencies to promptly discover criminal acts; regularly inspect and firmly eliminate unhealthy phenomena in cultural, press, and artistic activities; strictly handle violations of the Press Law and Publishing Law.

7. The Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for managing the education of cadres, students, and trainees in educational institutions, incorporating legal education and regulations on protecting security and order into regular curricula at all levels; coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security to organize crime prevention and suppression and law violation combat among students and trainees, ensuring security and order in school areas.

8. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for directing vocational training for inmates in prisons, incorporating job programs into correctional schools, educational facilities, and medical support centers to help them reintegrate into society after serving their sentences. Coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to research and propose the Government to issue reward policies and material and spiritual benefits for public security units, officers, and citizens who have outstanding achievements and those who have sacrificed, been injured, or suffered property losses in crime prevention and suppression.

9. Transportation, Industry, Agriculture and Rural Development, Commerce, Planning and Investment, Foreign Affairs, and the State Bank of Vietnam, based on their respective functions, shall develop plans to coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to strengthen internal protection and crime suppression in their respective fields. Each ministry and sector must have action programs and operational mechanisms to ensure effective coordination.

10. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall be responsible for budgeting funds, preparing comprehensive plans to submit to the Government, ensuring funding for the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control; coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security to study and propose to the Government to ensure equipment and gradually modernize equipment for law enforcement agencies, particularly those responsible for detecting, investigating, and handling crimes; studying and proposing to the Government to mobilize financial contributions from economic organizations and non-governmental organizations for crime prevention and control work.

11. The Ministry of Justice shall be responsible for leading the research, review, supplementation, amendment, and perfection of the legal system on crime prevention and control; coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Defense to study and propose to the Government to build a complete forensic and medical examination system to serve crime prevention and control tasks in new circumstances. Leading the coordination with relevant sectors to organize legal education and publicity, regularly broadcasting legal education programs on radio and television.

12. It is requested that the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Supreme People's Court have plans to closely coordinate with law enforcement agencies under the Government to intensify criminal investigation, prosecution, and trial work in a timely and strict manner.

13. It is requested that the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee, the General Confederation of Labor of Vietnam, the Vietnam Farmers' Association, and other socio-economic organizations closely coordinate with ministries, sectors, and local authorities in mobilizing and educating their members to actively participate in crime prevention and control work.

14. Provincial People's Committees directly under the central government shall be responsible for directing all crime prevention and control work at the local level; implementing job training and vocational training programs for inmates in detention centers, specific programs, plans, and measures to direct relevant sectors and levels to effectively implement the Resolution and the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Establish a Government Steering Committee for the implementation of the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control, headed by a Deputy Prime Minister, with the Minister of Public Security as Vice Chairman; the Deputy Minister of Public Security in charge of people's police as a permanent member; and the Deputy Ministers of the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Justice, Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Education and Training, Finance, and the National Committee for Child Protection and Care as members. Invite representatives from the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Central Commission for Party Inspection, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee, the Vietnam Farmers' Association, and the Vietnam Veterans Association to join the Steering Committee.

2. Provincial People's Committees directly under the central government shall establish a Steering Committee for Crime Prevention and Control, headed by a Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, with corresponding members as the Government Steering Committee, assisting the provincial People's Committee in directing the implementation of the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control at the local level.

3. Monthly, quarterly, and annually, ministries, sectors, and local People's Committees need to review crime prevention and control work within their ministries, sectors, and localities, and report the results to the Prime Minister and the Government Steering Committee for the Implementation of the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control.

4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies equivalent to ministries, and chairmen of provincial People's Committees directly under the central government are responsible for enforcing this Resolution.

5. The Steering Committee for the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control shall be responsible for monitoring, guiding, and urging the implementation of this Resolution, and regularly compiling situations to report to the Prime Minister.