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11 August 2014, Ak-Sai, Batken province. Consultations for the development of a crime prevention plan started in Ak-Sai district, Batken province of the Kyrgyz Republic (KR), within the framework of the U.S. Government-funded project “Support to Criminal Justice Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic”, implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The aim of this project is to strengthen cooperation between police and local communities on crime prevention and public safety based on social partnership principles.

 

The first stage of a four-month crime prevention campaign, carried out in close partnership with a non-government organization “Education for Community Development”, will be focused on introductory meetings with local police units and local self-governance representatives, members of the municipal parliament, school directors, as well as local community and civil society leaders. The aim of the campaign at this stage is to inform all stakeholders on planned activities and to create a coordination platform and joint working groups at the local communities’ level.

It is planned that the newly created joint working groups will identify the existing problems in the area of crime prevention in Ak-Sai district and will develop a Plan of Action on Crime Prevention in Ak-Sai District for 2014-2017.

An assessment mission conducted by UNODC jointly with the KR Ministry of Internal Affairs in July 2013 led to the selection of the municipal police station in Tash-Tumshuk village of Batken province as a pilot for creating a model police unit. The Tash-Tumshuk police station is located in Ak-Sai district, covering five villages, at the border with Isfara district, Sohd province of Tajikistan.

The Tash-Tumshuk police station was recently renovated and UNODC continues to support its staff in enhancing their professional capacities to interact with local communities and increase public trust in the police based on social partnership principles.

The crime prevention campaign is an example of cooperation between UNODC, the U.S. Embassy Office and the KR Ministry of Internal Affairs in support of the implementation of the National Strategy on Sustainable Development of the Kyrgyz Republic and Police Reform Measures, adopted by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in April 2013. The campaign is implemented by UNODC with generous support from the U.S. Government.