OSCE supports national forum on police reform in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, 12 October 2011 – An OSCE-supported National Forum on Police Reform in Kyrgyzstan took place today in Bishkek. Senior government officials, members of parliament, political party leaders, as well as police experts and representatives of the civil society and international organizations attended.

The Forum was organized by the Government of Kyrgyzstan and the Interior Ministry with support from the OSCE Centre in Bishkek to elaborate conceptual and policy documents as well as concrete recommendations on police reform in Kyrgyzstan. 

On 27 September the Government signed a regulation to create an interagency working group to develop a concept on police reform comprising members of parliament, the judiciary, experts, NGO representatives and government officials.

“This pivotal National Forum is the culmination of over six months of intensive OSCE-facilitated nationwide consultations, involving the Ministry and Interior and members of the public in all seven provinces. The Forum, led by the newly-created multi-sectoral steering group, aims to reflect the findings of this nationwide debate in further refining the draft Police Concept, which will be put to Parliament for their consideration by the end of November,” said Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

“The road-map is clear and the stakes high: to realize significant reform in Kyrgyzstan’s policing, in line with ‘democratic policing’ principles - put more simply, a police service that protects all citizens, serves them and whose public conduct and accountability is without blemish; a service that inspires public trust, not fear or skepticism,” he added.

Shamil Atakhanov, the Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan and the head of interagency working group on police reform, said: “Police reform is needed to provide the security necessary for the successful development of society. This process can succeed only through co-operation with all other law-enforcement agencies, the presidential administration, the government, Parliament and civil society, and must be an integral part of a comprehensive reform of the criminal justice system.”

Member of the Parliament and co-chair of the interagency working group Ravshan Jeenbekov said: “The National Forum serves as a starting point uniting all forces involved in the reform process. The key role in promoting police reform should be given to civil society, which has proved to be the main motivator of all reforms in the country.”

The event was held as part of the OSCE Centre’s efforts to support comprehensive police reform in Kyrgyzstan and to promote the development of partnership between the police and civil society.