Have public councils in Tajikistan been able to bring the police closer to the people?

The first police reform in Tajikistan was completed in 2020. For various reasons, it was not fully implemented, and the authorities approved a new Program for the period 2021-2025. According to a study by the international organization Saferworld, the most successful implementation of the first reform was public relations.

Asia-Plus spoke to Naim Malikislomov, chairman of the Public Council for Police Reform in the Sughd region, to find out how the relationship came about.

Public advice – what exactly is it?

Public Councils (PCs) for Police Reform were created in 2015 and operate in all regions of Tajikistan.

Their main task is to strengthen the interaction between society and the police, to increase public confidence in the work of law enforcement agencies, to exercise public control over the activities of the police and to improve the legal culture of citizens and police officers.

The councils, in close contact with the police, solve the issue of protecting public order and the safety of citizens and also help in the prevention of crime.

Close to people

Hotlines were created as part of the first police reform in 2016 to allow interaction between civil society and law enforcement agencies. They work around the clock and any citizen can ask for help.

Also, for the convenience of interaction between society and the police, the so-called police on bikes was created. This kind of on-site practice is especially important for residents of remote areas where there are not enough local inspectors.

Citizens can also get help from public councils. For this purpose, with the support of partners, separate rooms for receiving citizens were opened and technically equipped in each city and jamoat.

“We can solve some problems on the spot and much faster because there are people with legal and medical education among the members of the public councils. A person may not even need to go to the police, explains Naim Malikislomov. – We can resolve disagreements in the family and household, conflicts with children or disputes with neighbors. We can also give professional advice if a person does not have the opportunity to hire a lawyer and refer him to the necessary authorities.”

Crime prevention and public order

As part of the second reform, public prevention centers were established in many regions of the republic in addition to public councils. They were created to prevent crime among the population and have an educational impact.

Several structures are involved in this area of ​​preventive activity: the department for women and family affairs, the department for youth work, the makhala committees, as well as the local inspector.

Such interaction allows not only to reduce the crime rate, but also to increase the legal literacy and awareness of the population. The activity of the Center helps to relieve the district police officers.

As part of the second police reform, law enforcement councils were also created in each region of Tajikistan. These are independent public associations that also work with local police departments.

What else do municipal councils do?

They participate in the selection and placement of personnel in police structures and are also present in the certification of future police officers.

Participate in district inspectors’ quarterly debriefing meetings with residents. Such “people watching” helps to increase the transparency of local police officers, their responsibility and accountability to the local community, increases the level of trust of citizens and develops a system of public control.

It should be noted that public councils also operate in neighboring republics. Joint meetings have already taken place with Kyrgyz and Uzbek colleagues, experience has been exchanged and new useful approaches and skills have been borrowed.

Is working in the public council paid?

Like any social work, membership in OS involves voluntary work.

“We actually have a lot of people who care. They are not indifferent to what is happening around them, and they want to make our society as safe as possible,” says Naim Malikislomov. “The members of the council are people of various professions, some of them are of retirement age.”

It is important to note that the activity of councils has been legalized since last year.

On their initiative and with the support of the OSCE as the main international partner of Tajikistan in the field of police reform, they received an official status in the law “On the participation of citizens in the protection of public order”, where a whole section is dedicated to them.

“This means that we can independently implement various projects in the field of police reform and strengthening the dialogue between the police and society, as well as organize funds and allocate salaries to employees, and much more.

The law envisages the creation of a Citizen Initiatives Fund, the funds of which will be used for these purposes,” added Malikislomov.

Do people trust the police?

In 2018, the Center for Strategic Studies of Tajikistan, together with the Public Councils, conducted a nationwide monitoring of public opinion on police reform. It was attended by more than 550 residents from four regions of the country: Sogd, Khatlon, DRS and Badachshan.

The assessment showed that roughly 55% or every fifth citizen trusts the work of the police, slightly more than 40% of respondents do not trust much, and slightly more than 4% do not trust the work of law enforcement agencies. at all.

In 2020, the National Association of Businesswomen carried out similar monitoring in the Sughd region. About 2,000 residents from 12 cities and districts took part in the survey.

The results of the study showed that 32% of respondents trust the police, another 35% doubt it, and the remaining 33% do not trust it at all.

As part of the second reform, repeated studies are planned to determine how much these indicators have changed.

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