OSCE Centre promotes transparency in police activities in Kazakhstan

KOSTANAY, Kazakhstan, 6 May 2008 - Improving interaction between the media and police agencies at the regional level was the topic of a roundtable discussion held today in Kostanay in northern Kazakhstan.

The event, which was organized by the North Kazakhstan legal media centre with support from the OSCE Centre in Astana, brought together journalists, law enforcement officials and members of the public commissions on police oversight in the Kostanay region.

Separate seminars for journalists and the police were also held as part of the OSCE Centre's project on police development co-operation, which is being carried out with the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit in Vienna and the Kazakhstani Interior Ministry.The journalists discussed legal and ethical aspects of covering police work, and learned about police terminology to enhance the professionalism of their coverage.

Police staff, including press officers, learned about effective and professional co-operation with journalists to enhance transparency and credibility of the police and its activities in the region.

The project also included a visit by media representatives to a temporary detention centre, a remand centre for the homeless and a correctional centre for youth offenders.