OSCE pilot policing project presented in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, 5 March 2004 - A pioneering OSCE project on community policing for Kyrgyzstan was presented yesterday with the launch of a local computer network at a Bishkek police station.

Within the framework of the OSCE's community policing project, the Pervomayiskyi district police station and its substation in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek are now equipped with modern computers, scanner and printers, and training courses are running.

"Crime and drugs continue to drain human resources and we have to stop this problem," said Urban Karlsson, Community Policing Expert of the OSCE Police Assistance Project in Kyrgyzstan, during an "Open Doors Day" at Pervomayiskyi police station.

"Community-oriented policing is an important way of uniting the efforts of civil society and the police to resolve problems such as crime and the safety of citizens. Only in co-operation with the civil society can we stop further development of crime."

The "Open Doors Day" is an annual event, organized by the Pervomayiskyi police unit in Bishkek in order to raise awareness and provide transparency about the activities of the local police.

2004 has been designated by Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev as a year of social mobilization and good governance intended to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. Strengthening public security and ensuring law and order is a key priority.

"The Police are the face of a country," said Colonel Kalys Tenizbaev, Head of the Pervomayiskyi Police Station. "The reputation of the police depends on how well they work with the people. We hope that in collaboration with the OSCE, local communities and governmental bodies, this unit will become an effective model for all police stations in the country."

Parliamentarians, representatives of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry, civil society and the Bishkek Mayor's office, the OSCE's Senior Police Advisor Richard Monk and members of the OSCE Police Assistance Programme in Kyrgyzstan, as well as journalists attended the event.

The OSCE's police assistance programme for Kyrgyzstan includes important elements such as training of police officers, study tours and actions of experience with international counterpart and ultimately reform of the police culture itself.