Decision No. 138/1998/QD-TTg Approves the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control

Pursuant to …;
Approving the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control 

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law dated September 30, 1992;

On the basis of Resolution No. 09/1998/NQ-CP dated July 31, 1998 of the Government on strengthening work to prevent and combat crime in the new situation;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Public Security,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approving the National Program on Crime Prevention and Control with the following specific contents:

1. Objectives of the Program.

a) Creating a strong transformation in social order and safety, maintaining legal discipline, building a healthy living environment, fostering a lifestyle and work ethic based on the rule of law; significantly reducing various types of crime, effectively serving the country's construction and development efforts.

b) From 1998 to 2000: Reducing crime generally and fundamentally reducing serious crimes.

c) Gradually building a healthy living environment in communities, schools, and families, creating clear changes in social order and safety. Enhancing respect for the law within the community and promoting the initiative and creativity of grassroots levels in crime prevention and control work.

d) Closely combining preventive work with proactive attacks against crime, especially in key areas and cities. Effectively educating offenders and helping them quickly reintegrate into society.

đ) Gradually reducing violent crimes, particularly murder, robbery, rape, assault on public officials, child abuse, abduction and trafficking of women and children, luring children into drug use and addiction, juvenile crime, organized crime, and crimes involving weapons or having a hooligan nature. Resolutely pursuing fugitive criminals and thoroughly implementing criminal enforcement work.

e) Enhancing the effectiveness of management and administration by the Government and local authorities in administrative state management concerning social order and crime prevention and control.

2. Contents of the Program:

a) Mobilizing the people to participate in detecting and reporting crimes; reforming and educating offenders in the community; encouraging offenders to surrender themselves and apprehending wanted criminals.

b) Propaganda and education on laws related to crime prevention and control to enhance citizens' awareness of respecting the law regarding social security and order.

c) Implementing comprehensive measures to prevent crime in communities, households, production and business establishments, service providers, state agencies, social organizations, and military units.

d) Struggling against organized crime, international crime, robbery, snatch theft, and hooligan acts, child rape, abduction and trafficking of women and children, juvenile crime, and assaults on public officials.

đ) Improving the quality of education and rehabilitation of offenders and creating conditions for their reintegration into society.

e) Building and perfecting legal regulations on crime prevention and control to meet practical requirements.

g) Organizing international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and control, especially against international crime and crimes committed by Vietnamese abroad.

3. Main Projects of the Program.

a) The first project: Mobilizing the entire population to participate in preventing, detecting, and reporting crimes; reforming and educating offenders in families and communities.

Focusing on mobilizing the entire population to build safe villages, streets, offices, and units; building new cultural families, resolving conflicts, preventing and combating illegal acts, linking with the movement of the whole people to unite in building a new life, paying attention to educating young people and teenagers about crime prevention and social causes of murder.

Strengthening social management at the grassroots level such as household registration, temporary residence management, launching campaigns for the whole people to detect and report crimes at the commune and ward levels. Establishing systems for receiving reports of crimes at the grassroots level. Organizing campaigns to encourage offenders to surrender themselves.

Organizing the participation of the entire population in managing and educating law violators in the community; organizing vocational guidance, helping to create jobs, and transforming them into good citizens who can reintegrate into society; launching campaigns for social organizations such as youth, women, front organizations, and families to sponsor and commit to educating delinquent and slow-progress youth. Organizing the management of individuals under surveillance, prohibited residency, non-custodial rehabilitation, suspended sentences... to prevent recidivism.

Requesting the Vietnam Fatherland Front to take the lead, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam Women's Union, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Veterans Association, and other ministries and sectors to participate.

b) The second project: Building and perfecting laws on crime prevention and control; strengthening propaganda and education on the law and citizens' responsibilities in protecting national security and order.

Concentrating on reviewing, amending, supplementing, and drafting new legal regulations related to the struggle against crime, focusing on researching and proposing amendments and supplements to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Administrative Violations Handling Ordinance to be consistent with the practical needs of crime prevention and control in the current situation.

Promoting propaganda and education on the law regarding citizens' responsibilities in protecting national security and order through radio, television, and other mass media. Incorporating content on national security, order, crime prevention, and control into compulsory educational programs at all levels of schools.

The Ministry of Justice leading, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Supreme People's Court, the Voice of Vietnam Radio, and Vietnam Television participating.

c) The third project: Struggling against organized crime, dangerous criminal offenses, and international crime.

Focus on combating and preventing organized crimes operating in gangs, groups, and networks, professional criminals, protection rackets for restaurants, debt collection, murder and robbery, snatch theft, rape, offenses against public officials, international crimes such as international fraud, smuggling, money laundering, piracy, terrorism, and crimes committed by Vietnamese citizens abroad... Pursue and arrest fugitives with outstanding warrants.

The Ministry of Public Security shall take the lead, with the participation of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and other relevant ministries and sectors.

d) The fourth project: Combating and preventing offenses harming children and juvenile delinquency.

Focus on preventing and combating offenses harming children such as killing children, raping children, statutory rape, organizing child prostitution, and organizing children to use narcotics... Preventing and combating situations where minors commit crimes at school and in society.

The Ministry of Public Security shall take the lead, with the participation of the Vietnam National Committee for Children, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Women's Union, the Central Youth Union Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth, and other relevant ministries and sectors.

4. To effectively implement the above projects, the Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to study and organize the implementation of the following contents:

Conduct basic investigations, assess the current situation of criminal activities in Vietnam, analyze the causes and conditions leading to criminal activities, forecast the development trend of criminal activities from now until the year 2000 and subsequent periods.

Study and establish a unified national system for criminal statistics; organize a system of scientific research institutions for crime prediction and prevention.

Enhance the effectiveness of detention, education, and rehabilitation work for offenders, organize vocational training, expand models of vocational training centers for prisoners, and promote job placement for them after serving their sentences to help offenders quickly reintegrate into society.

Establish and consolidate political organizations at the grassroots level; focus on consolidating administrative bodies and mass organizations at the commune and ward levels. Deploy police stations, build commune and ward police forces as the security and order maintenance force at the grassroots level. Restore and develop neighborhood watch, village watch, neighborhood group leaders, village chiefs, and clan leaders to organize mobilization of the masses to participate in maintaining security and order, preventing and combating crime at the grassroots level. Promptly complete the draft ordinance on commune and ward police forces to submit to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for promulgation and study proposals on the regime and policies for commune and ward police forces.

Study improvements in organization, equipment, and supplementation of the regime and policies for the police force and other legal protection agencies in crime prevention and control work. Develop cultural, artistic, and communication programs to serve crime prevention and control. Combat harmful cultural products circulating in society and impose strict penalties on centers, points selling and renting videos, books, and magazines containing pornographic or violent content.

5. Organizing the Implementation of the Program:

Establish a Steering Committee for Implementing the National Crime Prevention and Control Program chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, with the Minister of Public Security as Vice-Chairman, and the Deputy Minister of Public Security in charge of people's police as a permanent member; Deputy Ministers of the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Justice, Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Culture, Information, Education and Training, Finance, and the Vietnam National Committee for Children as members. Invite representatives from the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Internal Affairs Commission of the Party Central Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Women's Union, the Vietnam Farmers' Association, and the Vietnam Veterans' Association to join the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee for Implementing the National Crime Prevention and Control Program shall be responsible for directing, inspecting, guiding, urging ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the Program; managing funds allocated from the state budget for the implementation of the Program; and serving as the focal point for international cooperation in crime prevention and control.

The permanent office assisting the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Crime Prevention and Control Program shall be located at the Ministry of Public Security, directly led by the Deputy Minister of Public Security in charge of people's police who is a permanent member.

Ministries, sectors, and agencies that are members of the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Crime Prevention and Control Program shall have the responsibility to study projects on combating and preventing crime under the direction of the Steering Committee and to send specialists to assist the permanent office of the Steering Committee.

Provincial People's Committees shall establish Crime Prevention and Control Steering Committees chaired by the Deputy Chairman of the People's Committee, with corresponding members like those of the Government's Steering Committee, to assist provincial People's Committees in directing the implementation of the National Crime Prevention and Control Program at the local level.

Assign responsibilities.

The Ministry of Public Security shall be the leading agency responsible for coordinating activities according to the National Crime Prevention and Control Program. Directly coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and mass organizations to organize the struggle against crime. Coordinate with prosecution, court, investigation, indictment, and trial departments to promptly handle criminal cases.

The Ministry of National Defense shall be responsible for strictly supervising the management and use of weapons and explosives in the military, coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security to supervise the management and use of weapons and explosives in non-military sectors and agencies; organize the recovery of illegally stored weapons and explosives; direct main force troops, border defense forces, local forces, and self-defense forces to cooperate with the people's police in crime prevention and control.

The Ministry of Culture and Information shall coordinate with relevant sectors to intensify propaganda and education on legal awareness and lifestyle for the people. Through various forms of cultural and artistic activities, extensive propaganda shall be conducted so that all strata of the population recognize the harmful effects of various types of crimes, social evils, and other violations of the law. Mobilize the people to actively participate in the struggle against unhealthy phenomena in culture, press, arts, and violations of publication, distribution, film screening, and broadcasting rules. Collaborate with the Ministry of Public Security to firmly eliminate pornographic and violent cultural products.

The Ministry of Justice shall take the lead in researching and perfecting laws on crime prevention and suppression, and intensify legal education and propaganda work. Coordinate with Vietnam Television and Voice of Vietnam Radio to regularly open special sections titled "Legal Propaganda, Dissemination, and Education" on television and radio waves.

The Ministry of Education and Training shall promote and incorporate content on national security and order protection, crime prevention, and suppression into educational programs at all levels of schools. Coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Supreme People's Court to innovate and improve undergraduate law training programs, investigators, prosecutors, judges to suit new circumstances. In the 1998-1999 academic year, introduce the Criminal Code, Administrative Violation Handling Ordinance, and related laws into compulsory programs at secondary and higher education institutions nationwide. Directly oversee the teaching and education of legal knowledge on national security and order protection, crime prevention, and suppression within schools.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall direct the implementation of the National Program for Employment for former prisoners and individuals under rehabilitation who have completed their terms and returned to their home regions. Provide vocational training for individuals currently detained in prisons, educational facilities, and rehabilitation centers.

The Ministry of Finance shall ensure funding for the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression. Coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to research and propose to the Government to ensure funding, equipment, and gradually modernize criminal investigation forces and other law enforcement agencies, as well as ensure policies and benefits for law enforcement agency staff. Invest funds to strengthen court premises, courtroom facilities, working tools for procuratorial, judicial, and enforcement agencies, and prison systems managed by the Ministries of Public Security and Defense.

Members of the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression from various ministries and sectors shall be responsible for directing crime prevention and suppression work in conjunction with implementing economic, cultural, and social development plans, considering this as a significant and ongoing responsibility in their management functions.

Provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for directing crime prevention and suppression work locally. Establish projects for organizing struggles and report periodically (every six months, annually) and report urgent issues during implementation to the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression.

7. Management of capital, funding, and sponsorships for program implementation

Capital, funding, and sponsorships for the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression are mobilized from multiple sources:

From the State budget (allocated by the Government).

Integrated with other Programs and Projects in specific areas (Employment Program, Health Development Program, Cultural and Educational Development Programs, Economic Programs...).

From domestic and international sources (International Aid, Voluntary Contributions...).

Annual State budget allocations for the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression shall be planned by the Standing Committee of the Steering Group for Implementing the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression, submitted to the Government for decision, and directly directed for implementation. Other funding sources, the Ministry of Public Security will coordinate with relevant sectors, programs, projects, and sponsoring organizations to implement in specific areas and fields.

Article 2. Assign the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression to develop plans and proposals to implement the objectives and contents of the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression and the Government Resolution on strengthening crime prevention and suppression work in the new situation.

Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, and provincial people's committees directly under the Central Government shall be responsible for organizing implementation, monitoring, supervising, and urging strict implementation of the Program. Develop five-year and annual plans to implement the Program and projects appropriately.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature. The Chairman of the Steering Committee for Implementing the National Program on Crime Prevention and Suppression, Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairmen of provincial people's committees directly under the Central Government are responsible for enforcing this Decision.