Armenia’s Language Committee has reprimanded the country’s Police Department for using English on its fleet of new patrol cars and on police uniforms that have appeared on Yerevan streets.

The newly launched Police Patrol Service is part of a package of reforms announced by the government.

The Committee, in a statement released today, says the usage of English contradicts Article 20 of Armenia’s Constitution and the Language Law.

“The state language of the Republic of Armenia is Armenian. By virtue of the law, the state language prevails,” the Committee writes, adding that it will review the matter and take steps to ensure the applicable language laws are implemented.

700 patrol police officers have been dispatched to date and are tasked with “ensuring public order” in the Armenian capital.

The government wants to expand the Patrol Service to the rest of the country.

(The Language Committee is a state body under the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, which participates in policymaking in the field of language, ensures the implementation of that policy and the realization of the requirements of the RA Law “On Language”.)