OSCE Centre supports crime prevention centres in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan
TALAS, 21 September 2010 - The work, strategies and capacity of the 36 Local Crime Prevention Centres in the north-eastern Talas province was studied and evaluated today during a roundtable meeting supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.
Heads of provincial administrations, senior police officers, OSCE representatives and journalists took part in the meeting, which marked the start of a competition that will honor the best crime prevention centre in the province.
"OSCE supports work to strengthen Local Crime Prevention Centres in many regions of the republic. Competitions such as this one have improved the capacity of centres in Issyk-Kul and Naryn provinces, and we expect a similar result in Talas," said Tarmo Viikmaa, Community Policing Advisor at the OSCE Centre.
Kanat Omorov, the Deputy Chief of the Police Deparment in the Talas province, added: "The centres are effective instruments for crime prevention. Before, five to six villages were under the service of one neighborhood inspector. Now, the work to prevent crime is undertaken by the community as well. Residents can bring their problems to the centres, where they will get help to find solutions."
The roundtable meeting formed part of work implemented by the non-governmental organization Soyuz Edineniye with support from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek's Police Reform Programme.