Kyrgyzstan police reform moving forward

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 26 (UPI) -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says a program designed to reform Kyrgyzstan's police is showing signs of success.

A meeting was held Tuesday among members of the police reform steering committee that included officials from the OSCE Center in Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyzstan Interior Ministry, and from Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's administration, the OSCE reported.

According to the steering board, the Police Reform Program, launched in 2003, is successfully improving the police's ability to provide security and accountability, and is also fostering a positive relationship between the law enforcement community and citizens.

"The mission of the Kyrgyz police is to maintain law and order in the country through quality policing that addresses the needs of citizens, society and the state," Moldomusa Kongantiev, Kyrgyzstan interior minister, said in a statement.

"The implementation of the OSCE Police Reform Program has raised the Kyrgyz police service to a new level of performance and helped win more trust of the population."