OSCE delegation arrives in Kyrgyzstan to assess internal affairs bodies reform

A five-day visit of representatives of the OSCE General Secretariat to the Kyrgyz Republic to assess the reform of the internal affairs agencies has started. The Interior Ministry’s press service reported.

The mission will study the work of the central office and the basic services, centers of operational response and operational management of the Interior Ministry of the republic. In addition, a meeting with the Public Council of the Interior Ministry and visits to educational institutions are planned.

«The delegation consisting of the head of the Strategic Police Matters UnitSami Ryhänen, Police Affairs Officers Eduard Lokotunin and Bjorn Tore Saltvik, Human Rights Officer of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Isabella Hartmann together with the head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Ambassador Alexei Rogov and head of the Military and Political Department Alexander Eliseev got acquainted with the activities of the central office of the Interior Ministry,» the statement reads.

The guests were shown the modernized center of the Interior Ministry’s press service for work with the media and the public, a hall of international cooperation for meetings with official delegations and online conferences.

Special attention was paid to the center of operational control and coordination, through which intelligent cameras monitor the situation in crowded places in all districts and cities of the country. The latest technology makes it possible to monitor the activities of mobile police stations, receive audio and video information from the badge cameras of district police officers.

«Analysis showed that compared to the same period in 2021, we were able to reduce crime by 46 percent. For the last 10 years, the crime rate has not decreased to today’s figures. We organized effective preventive work among the population, more than 3,000 police officers are on duty every day in public places and areas with a difficult crime situation.

Assessment of the situation showed that, thanks to 136 video cameras and digital technology capabilities, it was possible to achieve a 25 percent improvement in crime detection in areas with a difficult crime situation. If previously the grave and especially grave crimes were a systematic phenomenon, now their number has decreased by 40 percent, and in general the detection rate has increased by 8 percent,» the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Ulan Niyazbekov said at the meeting.

The equipment donated by the OSCE makes a significant contribution to the ministry’s work, he said. It greatly increases the effectiveness of the police at the local level, especially in the border regions.