OSCE launches a series of webinars on trends in contemporary policing for cadets in Uzbekistan

On 17 October, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, organized the first in a series of webinars for cadets and lecturers from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness about key trends and developments in contemporary policing among students and staff of the Academy.

As October is OSCE Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the first webinar was dedicated to the topic of countering the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. It was delivered by one OSCE expert and one national expert. Participants gained a better understanding of the current digital violent extremist ecosystem in the Central Asian region and the potential risks it represents. Speakers also outlined how to effectively respond to these challenges in a human rights compliant manner and elaborated on specific practical approaches in this area, including regulation, oversight, communication and public-private partnerships.

The event was attended by more than 120 cadets and lecturers. Nigmatov Ruftullo, Deputy Head of the Academy, underlined that we are living in a fast-changing world that requires adaptation and continuous learning. Educating young police cadets about contemporary trends in policing is crucial for the law enforcement in Uzbekistan to keep pace with socio-economic transformation of the communities they serve.

The upcoming webinars will focus on topics such as cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, intelligence-led policing, combating gender-based violence, promoting the meaningful participation of women in policing, leveraging innovations to fight trafficking in human beings, or new and emerging threats of trafficking in illicit drugs.