Community policing focus of OSCE-organized international symposium in Issyk-Kul

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 2 October 2006 - Experts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia are meeting today and tomorrow in Issyk-Kul at an OSCE-organized symposium to discuss best practices and lessons learned from community policing in their countries.

"This is a great opportunity for experts in the region to share experience in community policing and identify common needs," said Ambassador Markus Muller, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

"This meeting should also help further engage the public in community policing matters, address the principles of multi-ethnicity, contribute to the development of more effective policing programmes in the OSCE region, and ensure the proper work of oversight mechanisms.

The Head of the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit, Kevin Carty, added: "True democratic policing is a partnership between the police and the public. It should be recognized that police are there to serve all citizens equally and democratically."

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek was the first in Central Asia to begin a community policing project, a crucial step in opening the channels of communication and developing a more transparent and co-operative relationship between police and the public.

The Issyk-Kul event was organized by the Strategic Police Matters Unit, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Centre in Bishkek.