The 108th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijani police is being marked

Every year on July 2, Police Day is celebrated in Azerbaijan.

Today, the Azerbaijani police turns 108 years old.

By decree of national leader Heydar Aliyev dated May 24, 1998, July 2 — the day of the establishment of the first police bodies within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 — was declared Police Day of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the police bodies constituting its organizational structure played a major role in protecting the national interests of our first independent state during the period from 1918 to 1920, demonstrating great patriotism. After the fall of the ADR, Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union, and over the course of 70 years, the Azerbaijani police achieved outstanding results in maintaining public order and gained extensive experience. In particular, the 1970s–1980s, when under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev the republic achieved great success in economic, social, and other spheres, went down in the history of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as the most important period.

During this period, the national leader made significant decisions on organizing internal affairs bodies, ideological strengthening, and promoting professional personnel to leadership positions. It was precisely as a result of forming the personnel in a national spirit that the only regular force that resisted Armenia's military aggression in 1988 was the militia, and in subsequent years — the Internal Troops units. In these battles, 1,695 employees and military personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs became martyrs, and 1,710 were wounded. For their demonstrated valor and bravery, 67 people were awarded the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan," and 1,143 were decorated with orders and medals.

With the election of President Ilham Aliyev as head of state in October 2003, Azerbaijan's development entered a new phase, and stability became the symbol of our independent state, which is confidently moving toward future success. Within the framework of comprehensive reforms carried out by the head of state, all necessary measures were taken to modernize the internal affairs bodies. Based on the state program adopted in 2004 on the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan to improve the structure and regulatory framework of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, enhance material and technical support, strengthen social protection efforts for personnel, and raise awareness of the role of police in a democratic society, important measures were taken.

The Azerbaijani police is a unified centralized law enforcement body with a powerful material and technical base, a well-organized system of public order protection, and professional personnel. Thanks to the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev, ongoing development and modernization make it possible to reliably protect the rights and interests of citizens protected by law, and to take adequate response measures in the fight against crime and its transnational organized forms.

Special forces of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs participated in the Patriotic War that began on September 27, 2020. In the first hours of the Patriotic War, strategic positions in the Murovdag direction, including Murov Peak, were liberated from occupation. In these battles, seven military personnel of the Pələng (Tiger) and Şahin (Peregrine Falcon) special operations units became martyrs.

During the Patriotic War, 66 military personnel of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were killed, 346 were wounded, and four military personnel were awarded the title of Hero of the Patriotic War.