OSCE promotes professional development of female police officers in Kyrgyzstan

From 4-11 September OSCE organized a study tour to London for representatives of the Women’s Police Association in Kyrgyzstan.

During the visit the leaders of the Association met with the management of the International Women Police Association, the UK Police Federation and the British Association of Women Police Officers. They also visited a training centre for police officers that conducts research and offers advanced courses on gender balance and human rights, met female colleagues working in the Hammersmith Police Station and visited a rehabilitation centre for women victims of domestic violence.

Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “The Women’s Police Association in Kyrgyzstan (WPAK) has been developed with strong peer-support from police forces from other OSCE participating states, including the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, the United States and Spain. By facilitating the process, we encourage the determination of Kyrgyzstan’s police management to give closer attention to the recruitment and equal opportunities of police women; their operational effectiveness and impact; and their understanding and sensitivity towards the particular needs and role of women in public and individual security.” 

The study tour was organized as a part of activities of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek aimed at supporting the Association of Women Police in Kyrgyzstan within the framework of the community policing project of the Centre’s Police Reform Programme.