People’s trust in police improved, says the OSCE-supported public opinion survey
The results of a public opinion survey indicate that people have greater trust in the police. A survey carried out by the El-Pikir Centre of Public Opinion Study and Forecasting examined people’s perception of the police work across Kyrgyzstan and was presented on 17 July 2015.
The survey, supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, aimed at identifying the attitude of the population towards the police was carried out in seven provinces as well as in the cities of Bishkek and Osh. A total of 3410 citizens, 328 local activists, as well as representatives of local governments, gender and youth councils were interviewed. The key criteria for the survey were trust towards the police officers, satisfaction with the work of law enforcement bodies; whether they see any change in how they work and are willing to help the police to ensure public order.
The survey results indicate an overall improving trend of increasing trust in the police, although there were some differences across the regions. It showed that the highest level of trust in the police force was noted in Bishkek as well as in Jalal-Abad and Osh oblasts, whereas in Talas, Issyk-Kul and Batken regions it was lower.
Commenting on the results of the survey, Victor Sotchi, head of Police Affairs at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said, ”The results will serve as a basis for improvement in public safety and local communities’ involvement in police-related activities based on community policing principles.”
Elvira Ilibezova, the Head of the El-Pikir Centre of Public Opinion Study and Forecasting, said,“Sixty percent of the respondents, who have turned to the police, are satisfied with their work.”
For the past twenty years, the main criteria of the Kyrgyz police appraisal was crime solving rate without looking into performance of police officers individually or gauging the public perception of their work. On 24 February 2015, the ex-Prime Minister Joomart Otorbaev approved a set of regulations on a new comprehensive evaluation of the police performance.
The survey is a part of the OSCE Police Reform Project aimed at improving the effectiveness of law enforcement bodies and enhancing public safety.