To accomplish the assigned duties, the Military Criminal Investigation Sector has ceaselessly made innovation and creativity to improve the quality of investigation and punishment of military-related violations and crimes, custody management and execution of criminal verdicts, meeting the task requirements of building the Army and safeguarding the Fatherland.

Being a force specialised in investigating and handling cases of military - related violations and crimes, the Military Criminal Investigation Sector, in recent years, has promoted the spirit of “upholding the law”, “justice respect, law obedience, public-spiritedness, selflessness”; solidarity, ingenuity and creativity; overcome difficulties and intolerantly struggled against violations and crimes, firmly maintaining the strictness of the State’s law, the Army’s discipline, contributing to improving the regularity building, discipline training, and meeting the requirement of building the “elite, compact, strong” Army. Notably, the grasp, evaluation and forecast of military-related violations and crimes have been strictly, timely and effectively conducted without any passiveness or suddenness. All-level criminal investigation organs, especially the Criminal Investigation Department of the Defence Ministry has well advised the Central Military Commission, Defence Ministry, party committees and commands of offices and units to prevent, discover and solve all incidents and cases. The quality of investigation under the authority has been gradually improved, assuring right person, right punishment and legality, avoiding any wrong conviction or miss of criminals. Especially, the scientific and technological advances have been applied into the professional activities, increasing the accuracy, objectivity, timeliness and effectiveness in the investigation; speeding up the digital transformation, gradually modernising the working process.

Granting appointment decision of judicial title to cadres of the Criminal Investigation Department of the General Department of Logistics and Technology

Presently, the military-related violations and crimes have become more complicated, especially, the ones endangering people’s life, or affecting their health, honour and dignity. There have appeared many new types of crime, including crimes relating to drugs, economy, authority abuse, property frauds and appropriation, gambling, environment, cyberspace, etc. with many serious cases, significantly affecting the combat power, discipline and prestige of the Army. Criminals have not only shown their increasingly sophisticated tricks, they have also applied high-tech advances into making and concealing their crimes, which has caused ranges of difficulties for the investigation and solution of such cases, etc. This reality, more than ever before, has required the Military Criminal Investigation Sector to focus on comprehensively strengthening all work in order to meet the task requirements.

Firstly, closely grasping the reality, and improving the quality of research and consultation on preventing military-related violations and crimes. All criminal investigation organs in the entire army firmly hold the situation of military-related violations and crimes, the new types in particular, and the information sources of violations and crimes; investigate and solve all incidents and cases within the army in order to make research, analysis and correct evaluation of the causes and arising conditions, and the accurate forecast of the development, methods and tricks of new violations and crimes. On this basis, they make “correct, accurate, timely, effective” advice to the Central Military Commission, Defence Ministry, the party committees and commands of all units so that they can issue their leading and directing policies, solutions and documents, timely guiding, educating, preventing, combatting and seriously punishing all cases of violations and crimes. They also intensely supervise, inspects and evaluate the results of grasping and implementing all directives of the Defence Ministry, instructions of the General Staff on the law observance in the entire army, focusing on Directive No. 83/CT-BQP, dated 01 October 2024 by the Minister of Defence Ministry on enhancing the prevention of violations and crimes within the Army, through which, discover newly-arising problems and shortcomings in the implementation. At the same time, it is necessary to well carry out the summaries and reviews, considering it as the foundation to advise the Central Military Commission, Defence Ministry to amend and complete the legal regulations which are related to and suitable with the reality development. Concurrently, they timely consult with the party committees and commands of offices and units about methods for effectively preventing and promptly solving any incidents, contributing to improving all cadres and soldiers’ awareness of law observance.

Besides, bringing into play the role of the permanent organ of the Defence Ministry Steering Committee 1389, the Defence Ministry Criminal Investigation Department promotes the research and proposes to the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry to effectively implement the Government’s plans and programmes on preventing crimes of drugs, human trafficking, corruption, smuggling, trade frauds, counterfeit goods production and trading; practising waste prevention and saving in the Army.

Secondly, paying attention to building the contingent of “red and expert” cadres on a par with task. In investigating and dealing with the incidents and cases, it is easy for the criminal investigation cadres to cause serious consequences if their spirit and skills are not steady or their awareness and knowledge are limited. To meet the task requirements, the Sector pays attention to building the contingent of “red and expert” cadres with synchronous, suitable quantity and structure, and high quality; focuses on educating and training the contingent of cadres to have stable political will, pure professional ethics, sense of upholding the law, honesty, objectivity, and boundless loyalty to the Fatherland, the Party, the State and the people. They are required to dare to think, dare to say, dare to do and dare to take responsibility for their own decisions in the process of investigation and dealing with incidents; dare to make innovation and creativity in their work; dare to face difficulties and challenges, relentlessly struggle against any violations and crimes; dare to act for the common interest. To achieve good results, the Sector attaches special importance to planning, source creating, training, cultivating, positioning, arranging, rotating and using cadres; continuously maintains the recruitment of investigators, the contest of good criminal investigation officers; examines and makes proposal for the appointment of legal titles strictly and as regulated; intensely makes breakthrough in improving the quality of professional training on criminal investigation and techniques, custody management, execution of criminal verdicts and the usage of modern vehicles and equipment for all-level cadres and investigators, at the same time, continuously widens the international cooperation so as to approach and learn from modern investigation experience and methods. Together, the Sector continuously makes advice and proposals, and better implements the specific regulations and policies to cadres, the families of cadres and soldiers, especially the ones who are doing their duties in difficult, complicated and dangerous conditions, or the cadres who are directly carrying out the custody management in all detention facilities in the Army.

Training on criminal investigation

Thirdly, promoting the coordination in investigating and punishing violations and crimes. This is a precondition to timely, effectively and legally solve all incidents and cases, assuring the strictness, law upholding and discipline of the Army. Accordingly, to deal effectively with the sources of criminal information, all criminal investigation offices in the entire army seriously implement the regulations of commanding and professional duties, strictly coordinate with other offices and units in the assigned tasks and localities to steadily collect, scientifically classify, accurately and legally verify information. Based on the case characteristics and severity, these offices timely report to the commanders of offices and units, and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Defence Ministry to obtain professional guidance, early solve any cases; firmly avoid any concealment of shortcomings, cursory and dishonest reports or reporting only when there is no other choice, etc. In the process of investigating and solving cases, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination with functional organs inside and outside the Army, especially the equal-level People’s Procuracy and the Police to obtain better investigation, particularly in collecting and verifying evidence, etc., and avoid any loss or miss of criminals. For difficult cases with complicated details, it is to synchronously and comprehensively implement all professional methods, strictly coordinate the leading roles of leaders of investigation offices and the motivation and creativity of investigators, at the same time, well solve the relationships and coordination with relevant authorities inside and outside the Army. Cadres and investigators seriously comply with the law and regulations of the Sector, firmly avoid any wrongs, forced interrogation and torture, at the same time, improve the effectiveness of criminal assessment, assuring the accuracy, objectivity, timeliness and confirming the prestige of the Military Criminal Investigation Sector.

Fourthly, increasing the investment into the modernisation, effectively using the technical facilities, equipment and vehicles, especially enhancing the application of digital technology, artificial intelligence in the professional activities. The Criminal Investigation Department of the Defence Ministry continuously directs the implementation of projects on “Investing into the purchase of audio and video recording devices for questioning the suspects”, “Enhancing, modernising and improving the capability for the Military Criminal Investigation Sector”, creating the technical foundation for its activities. Notably, in present conditions, the Sector promotes the application of IT and modernisation of investigation, especially improves the capability of exploiting and using specialised tools and software for cadres and investigators; promotes the artificial intelligence to assist the surveys, assuring the investigation to be quickly and accurately carried out in high effectiveness. Together, the Sector enhances the digital transformation in leading, commanding, operating and managing documents, and collecting, processing and exchanging the professional information; closely coordinates with other units specialising on the information technology and cybersecurity to effectively hold, discover and struggle against new types of crimes, the high-tech ones in particular; builds and completes the software of managing the database on the temporary custody, detention and execution of criminal sentences, assuring the smooth connection between the Defence Ministry organs of temporary custody, detention and execution of criminal sentences with the database of temporary custody, detention and execution of criminal sentences at all levels. Besides, the Sector pays attention to purchasing equipment, tools, cameras and electronic devices to strictly inspect, monitor and protect the detention houses within the Army.

Thoroughly understanding the assigned functions and duties, the Military Criminal Investigation Sector is determined to overcome all difficulties, improve the working quality, firmly and effectively struggle against any violations and crimes, contributing to building the Army, steadily safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Major General NGUYEN THANH HUY, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department