Role of local self-governance in security provision in Kyrgyzstan

Authors: Urmat Kazakbaev, Timur Shaikhutdinov, Alexey Kruk, Sanzhar Alimzhanov, Galina Davletbaeva, Atyr Abdrahmatova

The events leading up to and including the 2010 interethnic riots in Southern Kyrgyzstan showed the shortcomings of the existing provision of rule of law in the country. In the post-Soviet period public security had been exclusively the responsibility of law enforcement bodies, and so security sector reforms were focussed mostly on policing. As a consequence, the effectiveness of public security reforms was limited to only certain institutional bodies.

International experience shows that for security provision to be effective, self-governance bodies and civil society need to play significant roles alongside the police. Community policing is an inclusive approach that incorporates the perspectives of all relevant stakeholders to take part in the protection of public order. This approach has more recently been adopted by officials and civil society in Kyrgyzstan. The recent national strategy for the Kyrgyz Republic (2013-17) makes provision for legislative powers and highlights the duties of self-governance bodies for the protection of public order.

This report by Civic Union for Reform and Results provides recommendations to the Government of Kyrgyzstan, to civil society, and to local self-governance bodies on implementation, including:

• Government to provide best practice guidance for interaction between the police, the community, and local self-governance actors
• Civil society to actively participate in systematic monitoring of police reform and comprehensive
  assessment of police work, efficiency of undertaken measures and consideration of public
  opinion
• Local self-governance bodies to take part in the development of new standards of work for neighbourhood inspectors, juvenile inspectors, and other external police services, related to interaction with citizens