Belarus Leader Lukashenko Calls for Armed Street Patrols, Warns of 'Extremist' Crime
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko called on law enforcement agencies on Tuesday to organize patrols with small arms on the streets of Belarusian cities to ensure the safety of people.
"People should feel safe at home, at work, on the street, at any time of the day," Lukashenko said in a video from a meeting with the country's top security bodies, posted on Pul Pervovo, a state outlet that reports on Lukashenko's activities, Reuters reported.
Lukashenko said that while the crime rate in Belarus was decreasing, the country was at risk of crimes of an "extremist nature".
"Today, this is the most important aspect of maintaining law and order – to suppress the actions of thugs and preventing the loss of souls, who do not yet fully understand what foreign curators are targeting them," he said in the video clip.
"I warn the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, the special services, everyone, the prosecutor's office - anyone: we need to take control of this. Our patrol guys must be on the streets...Patrols must be armed with small arms, at least pistols."
Last week Lukashenko said several "saboteurs", including Ukrainian and Belarusian nationals, had been detained on the border of the two countries in a "counter-terrorist operation" and that similar groups were detained "two or three times a week".
