Drug crime prevention and control in the border area is a combat task of the Border Guard Force (BGF), acting as a decisive factor in stopping the supply of drugs from illegally penetrating into our mainland. To well perform this task, the BGF should synchronously implement various measures, among which raising the effectiveness of coordination with the Public Security Force (PSF) is an important one.

Recently, in parallel with the complications of drug crime on global and regional scales, drug crimes along our land border have been on the rise and witnessed complex developments with increasingly foxy, reckless, impulsive operational methods and artifices. Drug criminal gangs and rings have been organised more closely and operated transnationally and globally. They have made use of information technology for trafficking in and transporting drugs in bulk, mainly from the “Golden Triangle” (via Laos) to Viet Nam, thereby causing a lot of difficulties for law enforcement forces in detecting, preventing, and handling those illegal activities. It should be noted that most of the cross-border drug trafficking gangs and rings have been equipped with weapons; they have always been reckless and ready to fight back when being detected and hunted down. Moreover, the border area often has complex terrains and a sparse population who are mainly ethnic minority people with a low intellectual level and a lot of difficulties in their life, thus being easily seduced into drug-related activities, posing huge challenges to competent forces’ drug crime prevention and combat work. For that reason, the BGF must synchronously adopt measures to raise the effectiveness of preventing and combating this type of crime; in this regard, proactively cooperating with party committees, authorities, and people in the border area as well as relevant competent forces is of utmost importance. In this article, we would like to put forward several issues on coordination between the BGF and the PSF in drug crime prevention and combat for discussion.

Coordination between the BGF and the PSF to crack a large-scale drug-related case (photo: bienphong.com.vn)

Under Coordination Regulations 768/QCPH/CSĐTTPVMT-CPCMT&TP between the Department of Drug and Crime Prevention and Control of the BGF and the Investigation Police Department for Drug Crimes of the Ministry of Public Security, over the years, the work of coordination between the BGF and the PSF in the border area has been carried out widely and deeply, ranging from crime-related information exchange and joint implementation of basic investigation plans to joint formulation of specialised plans and special operations against drug criminal rings and organisations. In 2021 only, the two forces worked with each other to crack 23 special cases, captured 441 criminals (311 cases), and seized 165 kilograms of heroin, 951,062 pills and 677 kilograms of synthetic drugs, 17.3 kilograms of opium, 60 kilograms of cocaine, 20 guns, and 338 bullets of all types, thereby making contributions to maintaining security and order in the border area.

However, there have some weaknesses in the process of coordination between the two forces; information and document exchange in several units has yet to be timely or sufficient; methods of coordination have yet to be synchronous. To overcome those weak points and further improve the effectiveness of coordination between the BGF and the PSF in drug crime prevention and combat in the border area, we would like to propose some basic solutions as follows.

First, enhancing propagation and education to raise cadres and soldiers’ awareness and responsibility towards the role of coordination in the prevention and combat of drug crimes. This solution acts as a determining factor in the quality and effectiveness of coordination especially when drug crime prevention and combat is a very complex and dangerous task. Thus, party committees and commands of units within the two forces should step up the work of propagation and education to render their cadres and soldiers fully aware of our Party and State’s resolutions and directives as well as regulations on coordination in drug prevention and combat, particularly the Government’s Decree 03/2019/NĐ-CP dated 5 September 2019 on coordination between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security in protecting national security, ensuring social order and safety, preventing and combating crimes, and performing national defence tasks. Propagation and education work should be aimed at making cadres and soldiers fully understand the functions and tasks of each force and the necessity of coordination. Cadres and soldiers should clearly perceive that coordination work will help not only successfully fulfil each force’s functions and tasks, but also concentrate leadership, command, personnel, and means on tasks, particularly on key special operations against drug crimes in the border and inland areas, ensure each force’s task performance, and firmly protect national sovereignty and border security. In addition, party committees and commands should step up inspection and supervision work to opportunely detect and fight against the signs of localism and disregard for coordination.

Second, strengthening focalised, uniform, comprehensive leadership and direction over coordination between the two forces in the fight against drug crimes. Not only a solution, it is also a principle ensuring the directionality and practical effectiveness of coordination between the two forces. To that end, party committees and commands should adhere to the leadership and direction given by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to develop specialised resolutions, plans, and programs on coordination in drug crime prevention and combat. Emphasis should be placed on coordination to grasp the drug crime situation in the border and key areas, implement regular drug crime prevention and combat plans, and at the same time organise special operations against inter-provincial, trans-national large-scale drug criminal organisations and rings. Party committees and commands should grasp and seriously implement resolutions, directives, guidance, and plans on the fight against drug crimes at all levels, while identifying their responsibilities, promoting their core role, and proactively maintaining close coordination under legal regulations to achieve uniformity in will and action, raise the effectiveness of coordination, and successfully fulfil all tasks assigned by the Party and State. Moreover, great value should be attached to preliminary and final review to draw lessons on coordination, correctly assess weaknesses, and propose measures for raising the effectiveness of coordination in each task and area.

Third, ensuring comprehensive coordination between the two forces in reconnaissance and lawsuit-based investigation to meet the requirements of drug crime prevention and combat in the new situation. Due to the particularities of the fight against drug crimes, reconnaissance investigation is seen as the key. Hence, significance should be attached to maintaining coordination in reconnaissance investigation between forces to guarantee constant mutual support in the investigation process and facilitate the expansion of special cases against drug criminal rings, organisations, and gangs. Units of the BGF should proactively inform the PSF of drug crime developments in the border area, in relevant inland areas, and even beyond the border and vice versa to formulate coordination plans and adopt specialised measures properly, effectively. In the process of information exchange, when a force provides information, the other must implement measures to verify information, conduct investigation, and return the results of investigation to the provider of information.

Furthermore, the two forces should grasp and follow regulations on the core role of each force in each area to ensure close, effective coordination and assignment. In the process of criminal investigation into drug crime cases undertaken by the BGF, the PSF should deploy its experienced investigators to assist units of the BGF in prosecution and investigation according to criminal procedures. At the same time, there should be close, rapid, synchronous coordination between the BGF and public security agencies in handing over criminal case records under legal regulations in order to bring into play each force’s capacity and forte in investigation and evidence collection.

Fourth, building up the force, technical means, and fund to ensure coordination in the fight against drug crimes. In the medium term, units of the two forces should deploy and employ personnel properly from grass-roots to provincial levels in a closed, inter-connected manner in the border and relevant inland areas. As for the key areas, it is necessary to deploy more personnel in charge of drug and crime prevention and combat from the BGF and the PSF to closely manage suspects in those areas, opportunely detect and build the selected contacts into a secret force, with priority given to recruiting experienced cadres having great professional competence. In the process of human resources deployment, rotation of jobs among reconnaissance cadres within units should both guarantee inheritance, secrecy, and necessary term of managing areas and suspects and satisfy the requirements of job rotation between units under regulations on personnel work. Additionally, more investments should be placed on fund and technical means. More specifically, units of the BGF and the PSF should be provided with means for the fight against drug crimes in a revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled, modern fashion, particularly technical equipment and supporting tools for drug crime prevention and combat, such as system for mobile phone inspection and surveillance, global positioning system (GPS) devices, satellite image analysis and processing technology, and night vision devices.

Fighting against drug crimes in the border area is a long-term, risky, and complex struggle. To that end, there should be involvement of the entire political system, with the PBG and the PSF playing a core role. Therefore, the two forces should enhance coordination to create synergy to effectively combat this type of crime, maintain security and order in the border area, and guarantee the people’s peaceful life.

Sr. Col. NGUYEN VAN HUNG, PhD

Border Guard Academy