OSCE's field office helps encourage dialogue between police and public in south Kyrgyzstan

OSH, KYRGYZSTAN, 31 May 2005 - Enhancing better understanding and co-operation between the local population and police in the field of public order is the aim of a forum that opened today in the Kyrgyz city of Osh.

Organized by the OSCE Osh Field Office and the public foundation Luch Solomona, the event is entitled Police and the Public: Confidence Building and Reconciliation Initiative. The Field Office also plans a series of seminars and discussions with the participation of government officials, law enforcement bodies, NGOs, international organizations and public activists.

"There has not been much dialogue between the population and the police since the March events in Kyrgyzstan," said Jerome Bouyjou, OSCE Osh Field Office Political/Human Dimension Officer.

"That is why it is important to build confidence and prevent further tension. The OSCE has been a long-term partner of both civil society and the police in Kyrgyzstan and so it has the ability and the duty to bring them together and build confidence between them".

Discussions will focus on city security, human rights, the freedom of assembly and public disorder management and will provide ground for confidence-building initiatives, such as regular public meetings between police officers and high school students and the local population. Police staff will also undergo training in human rights.