Murderous Dak Lak rampages expose local security vulnerabilities

At a National Assembly session held to discuss the possibility of a new law on security forces, Minister of Public Security To Lam said that ensuring security at the local level in wards and communes is the key for ensuring the security of entire districts, provinces and the country as well.

However, in reality, people are still being threatened and bullied by criminals locally, he said. Recent increases in police forces at the commune-level has only partly ensured local security, according to the minister, who added that police have too many tasks in front of them.

“We are making calculations. In places like the Central Highlands, each commune needs an officer to monitor and manage all security issues. Communes with issues regarding narcotics need experts on narcotics prevention,” Lam said.

Police officers are deployed to arrest people involved in attacks on Dak Lak commune offices on June 11, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Hoa

Major general Nguyen Thi Xuan from the standing committee on defense and security said she agreed with a proposed stipulation in the proposed law that would train 300,000 members of low-level safety forces to become special security teams.

The number of police officers is currently too low and too sparsely distributed around the country, she argued, with certain communes in the Central Highlands having only five officers.

Speaking in response to the recent deadly attacks in Dak Lak, Xuan said local security forces, when properly trained, would be the state’s “eyes and ears” monitoring criminals across the country. Local forces better understand the culture, customs and situations of the regions they inhabit, she added.

Ha Sy Dong, standing deputy chairman of the Quang Tri People’s Committee, said what happened in Dak Lak revealed that local security forces are weak and lacking in many areas, and could not be mobilized quickly enough. He said he supported the creation of a new law on local security forces, but also said that such a law needs to include detailed plans to ensure that the beefing up of local security forces will not be a burden on the national budget.

Deputy head of the assembly’s legal committee Ngo Trung Thanh said a new law on local security forces is necessary, but lawmakers should consider that not all areas or localities require a special team for security and “protection of law and order.”

As of Tuesday, 74 suspects have been arrested for alleged involvement in the Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur commune rampages in Dak Lak on June 11. Nine people died in the melee, including officials, police and civilians.