OSCE plays a key role in democratization of police work in Kyrgyzstan

On 15 December 2021, a meeting dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Mobile Police Receptions (MPR) entitled "Activities of MPR units and social partnership with the population" took place at the Academy of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic.

MPR units were created in 2011 to facilitate citizens' access to the police and to strengthen public confidence in law enforcement agencies. Increased public safety is achieved when the population and the police start engaging in a dialogue and working together.

Mobile Police Receptions are not just a patrol service. They serve people in the most remote areas of the country, where there is no access to law enforcement bodies. Moreover, it provides a wide range of social and legal support in issues of abaction, resolving land and water disputes, tracing and returning home missing children, bride-kidnapping, domestic violence and a lot more. Ninety-five per cent of calls to MPR refer to social problems.

MPR units have contributed greatly to building public trust in law enforcement forces and advancing the democratization of police work in all provinces of the country.

Forty-nine MPR units have been patrolling throughout the country with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

"With the implementation of the MPR project, the efficiency of the work of the internal affairs bodies has increased, the system of work with the population improved, new steps for a fruitful dialogue with society developed, and the level of public confidence in the police increased," said Oktyabr Urmambetov, Deputy Minister of the Interior.

Analysis has shown that, for 10 months of 2021, the total number of trips of MPR units in Kyrgyzstan amounted to 5,722, visited by 23,144 citizens, and 5,678 appeals processed.

Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek noted: “MPR units have shown their effectiveness in the most difficult times for the country and society, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, MPR units have been touring Kyrgyzstan, especially the remote areas of the country, talking to people about the preventive measures against COVID-19, the importance of vaccination and distributing humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups of the population”.