Ministry of Justice is reorganized by Executive Order 462, signed 30th of September by President Surangel Whipps Jr.
Under Executive Order 444, some of the Ministry of Justice functions were moved such as the Division of Immigration to Ministry of Finance and Division of Labor to Ministry of Human Resources, Tourism, and Development (MHRCTD), and the recent EO 462 reorganized what was left of the Ministry of Justice.
Executive Order 462 creates three (3) main areas in the Ministry of Justice, Office of Attorney General, Office of Professional Standards (new office), and Bureau of Public Safety. Before this change, there were the Office of Attorney General, the Bureau of Public Safety, the Bureau of Marine Law and Fish & Wildlife, and the Narcotics Enforcement Agency.
Under the new organization, all other law enforcement divisions fall under the Bureau of Public Safety. These include Division of Patrol, Division of Criminal Investigation, Division of Transnational Crime, Division of Juvenile Justice, Division of Fire & Rescue, Division of Corrections, and Division of Maritime Security and Fish & Wildlife Protection.
“It is a lot but we are learning more about it. We were moving far apart but this way, we are coming together,” stated Director Ishmael Aguon, of the Bureau of Public, who is now the overall head of the divisions under the Ministry of Justice.
Office of Professional Standards, a new office created by this administration, is “responsible for the monitoring and licensing qualification, and the other professional standards applicable to law enforcement officers or other personnel of the ministry”. It will also be obligated to “receive complaints against ministry personnel”.