UNIPATH STAFF
A reform of Uzbekistan law enforcement agencies that emerged in April 2017 has started bearing fruit. A recently created Department of International Cooperation under the Uzbek Ministry of Interior has successfully launched interagency coordination groups with police in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other countries.
“The results are spectacular,” department head Col. Shahrukh Giyasov said.
He cited an example of how close cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan helped capture a criminal who killed a family in the eastern Uzbek province of Andijan.
Enhanced collaboration and information exchange between law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also benefits the fight against religious extremism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking in Central Asia.
Prosecutor general’s offices in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan signed a cooperative agreement in February 2018 to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens of both countries and to provide mutual assistance in fighting crime, particularly along the border.
Col. Giyasov stressed that Uzbekistan was in the process of creating similar law enforcement coordination groups with Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Belarus. In addition, Uzbekistan plans to strengthen ties with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey to fight crime.
“We have identified a number of countries — for example, South Korea, Japan and Israel — where we plan to send a delegation of our specialists to learn about their police work and innovations in law enforcement,” Giyasov said.
The Uzbek Ministry of Interior also stepped up cooperation with foreign police training and educational institutions. The Uzbek Academy and Institute of Fire Safety reached educational agreements with universities in Kazakhstan, Russia and China.
Sources: Gazeta.uz, Ahnor.uz, Narodnoe Slovo