Special State Protection Service have expanded tasks and powers, following a decree by President Mikheil Saakashvili. (Official photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian president is strengthening the security around himself and his family.

Mikheil Saakashvili has issued a decree according to which the Special State Protection Service will be given additional functions to protect the president and his family.

Special State Protection Service is an armed military state body of the executive, which functions independently and which provides security and protection of the highest legislative, executive and judicial officials and buildings, subject to approval by the president.

The service is responsible to the president, who according to legislation controls this service.

The service had quite wide range of powers before. But after Bidzina Ivanishvili won the election, and his people will be in the new government, the president expanded the service’s powers and gave them several new functions. Those new functions earlier were the responsibility of the interior ministry.

According to new regulation the service should provide personal security for the president and his family at their place of residence, temporary and ordinary work places, while traveling and at places which they plan to visit. The Operative department is responsible, and its competence now is to analyze information which comes in to department, to systematize this information, make operative plans and implement other measures to provide security.

The Operative-technical department will also have expanded its powers. Its major goals are to reveal and prevent information leaks that pose a danger to people and buildings under their protection; to observe places and transport in order to find explosive devices or other illegal objects; to implement operative-investigative measures using technical means; provide open and closed radio connections among structural departments of the service; provide common telephone connection for the service department; exploitation of service’s connecting systems and means and to provide work to improve their functions.