BISHKEK, 9 March, 2010 - The share of residents in the eastern city of Karakol who view police work positively has almost tripled since 2006, when OSCE-supported reforms began, according to the results of a new survey released today.

The survey was released at a news conference organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry. Almost half - 45 percent - of those polled in November and December 2009 said they viewed the work of Karakol police as largely positive, up from 16 percent in a similar poll conducted in 2006. Karakol is located in the eastern Issyk-Kul province.

The surveys, carried out by the independent polling firm Socinformburo through interviews with 400 respondents in 2006 and 2009, focused on public safety and verification and assessment of changes in Karakol law enforcement work. The margin of error was 5 percentage points. The results will be used to identify new areas of the OSCE Police reform activity and to develop a Karakol police work plan that will be reported on at the end of the year.

The 2009 survey shows that Karakol residents have become more interested more in the city's policing situation since 2006.

"The public opinion on police work are of great importance for the police itself, since it reflects expectations and anxieties of the population and helps define new areas of focus," said Tarmo Viikmaa, Community Policing Adviser at the OSCE Centre.

Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiev added: "We are glad to learn that public trust towards the Karakol city police has increased over the last three years. For us, this in an indication of the effectiveness of Local Crime Prevention Centers, the active participation of city residents in crime prevention and the work of police Neighborhood Inspectors."