Public opinion report: The Reform Of The Internal Affairs Bodies Of The Kyrgyz Republic
Protection of public order and public security is one of the biggest challenges facing the state and its bodies. In the absence of security we cannot talk about development, economic growth, improvement of the world development indicators, development of the business, citizens, society, until they feel secure for themselves, their families and relatives. Ensuring the security of the citizens of Kyrgyzstan is the primary function of the Internal Affairs Ministry[1].
In the eyes of citizens, the employees of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs as symbols and guarantors of security should have full credibility, since they are representatives of executive power, and become a social partner of the population in preventing and solving crimes. The Ministry of the Internal Affairs currently is more like a punitive body, rather than guardian of order and law, this factor as well as other factors have led to low confidence of the population to internal affairs bodies.
The current practice of reporting and assessment of the activities of the militia do not meet modern criteria and requires a radical improvement. One of the main criteria of the activities of the internal affairs bodies should be efficiency, transparency and accountability.
This research is aimed on studying the public opinion on the work of internal affairs bodies in the light of the forthcoming reforms, and identifying the main concerns of the population in Kyrgyzstan. Study of these problems could help public authorities in their resolving and provide guidance for further reform of the internal affairs bodies.
The study is a continuation of the long-term work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Kyrgyz Republic, in collaboration with the Centre of the Organization for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bishkek to promote reform of the internal affairs bodies. One of the priority tasks of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek is to assist in ensuring the stability of society, the protection of the rights of citizens and their safety.
Within the framework of the implementation of the OSCE program important steps have been taken to improve the professionalism of law enforcement bodies and the development of cooperation between the militia and the population. One of the major achievements in the implementation of the program is the growing interest of other partners such as: non-governmental organizations, local authorities and population, which has a positive momentum for the implementation of the reform of the internal affairs bodies.
However, a set of serious problems remains impeding the achievement of the objectives of the reform of the Kyrgyz militia, such as: corruption of internal affairs bodies’ officers, low trust of citizens in the internal affairs bodies, inefficient system of their activities evaluation, the low level of culture and professionalism of personnel, etc.
The final product of the study should be conclusions and recommendations, which could significantly assist in the further implementation of the reform of the internal affairs bodies.
The full version of the report you can view or download here.
[1] www.mvd.kg