Commune-level public security officers to handle more administrative procedures
Commune-level public security officers will take on a greater role in handling administrative procedures for citizens and businesses, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced at a press briefing on February 28.
As part of the ministry’s new structure, district-level division of public security will be dissolved, and the ministry will take over five key state management tasks from various ministries starting March 1. These include cybersecurity, aviation security, drug rehabilitation and post-detoxification management, driver’s license issuance, and judicial record services.
Major General Pham Quang Tuyen, Deputy Director of the MPS's Department of Personnel and Organisation, said the shift to a two-tier local police structure - at provincial and commune levels - aims to strengthen frontline forces and bring them closer to local people. The commune-level public security force will maintain grassroots security while directly managing a wide range of administrative services.
Of the 53 functions previously handled by district-level public security officers, some will now be assigned to provincial officers, while others will be transferred to the commune-level force. Each commune public security unit will have at least 12 officers, and their chiefs will gain additional authorities.
Deputy Minister of Public Security Tran Quoc To highlighted the ministry’s ongoing efforts to streamline its structure, noting three rounds of restructuring since 2017 that have enhanced operational efficiency by reducing intermediary levels.
The latest reforms align with Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, issued by the 12th Party Central Committee in 2017 and Decree No. 02 set to take effect on March 1, 2025, establishing the ministry’s new organisational model. Local public security forces have already begun personnel reassignments, with district-level officers transferred to either provincial and commune-level forces.
While personal requests for early retirement will be considered, the ministry aims to maintain the enough number of officers to meet requirements in the new situation, To added.
PM reviews reorganisation of defence, public security ministries
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a working session with the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in Hanoi on December 30 to review their apparatus reorganisation.
