Public opinion of police work in Osh more positive, OSCE Centre-supported survey finds
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 17 March 2009 - The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry presented today the results of a public opinion poll on community-police relations in Osh, which found that residents positively evaluated the work of the police.
The poll aimed to identify priority public safety challenges in Osh, and was conducted among residents and officers from the Osh City Police Department. The survey analyzed the dynamics of police-community relations compared with the previous survey held in 2006.
According to the survey, 53.3 per cent of those interviewed gave the police a positive evaluation, which represents an increase of seven percentage points compared with the 2006 survey, while 19.2 per cent provided a negative evaluation.
Shamshybek Mamyrov, the Chief of the Interior Ministry's Reform Centre, said: "The poll results give Kyrgyz police an opportunity to tailor their actions to the needs and concerns of Osh residents, as well as to enhance partnership between police and civil society."
"This survey provides useful feedback from the citizens regarding police performance and conduct. It will help inform the police and its partners on areas of progress and areas in which to improve," said Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.
The OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Interior Ministry have carried out a community policing project since 2003. The survey was conducted by local polling company SotsInformBureau.
For more details please see www.osce.org/bishkek.