Kyrgyzstan opens police training center

BALYKCHY, Kyrgyzstan, July 31 (UPI) -- The Kyrgyzstan Interior Ministry Thursday announced the opening of a police officer training facility in Balykchy specializing in criminal investigations.

The new training facility is part of a network of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-supported crime investigation centers aimed at enhancing the level of investigative capabilities through implementing specialized equipment. The new facility is also an OSCE initiative to support criminal investigation capabilities that adhere to human rights, the OSCE reported.

Officials say the new Balykchy facility includes a modern crime investigation laboratory with fingerprint and metal-detection technologies along with training facilities.

"This center will help investigation bodies in the Issyk-Kul and Naryn provinces become more effective, and it will help ensure that human rights are observed," Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Dmitry Fedorov said in a statement.