In 2014 one of Saferworld’s community security working groups in south Kyrgyzstan teamed up with local government to revive a defunct Local Crime Prevention Centre. The result was changed perceptions and improved relationships between local communities and authorities, making it easier for people to report incidents of conflict and crime.
Ethnic clashes in June 2010, which resulted in hundreds of deaths, caused major distrust and resentment between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz living in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Five years after these tragic events, inter-ethnic tension still exists in the majority of mixed communities in south Kyrgyzstan such as Mady, a multi-ethnic settlement in Osh oblast that is a conflict hotspot.
Local Crime Prevention Centres (LCPCs) were set up in Kyrgyzstan in 2008 to try and prevent and address conflict at the local level by increasing cooperation and joint activity between communities and the local police. However, after the uprising in April 2010, the LCPC in Mady stopped operating, and following the violence later on that year it was left without premises. This meant the loss of a key local dispute resolution mechanism: between 2008 and 2010 the LCPC had registered 85 cases (an average of 28 cases per year), of which 71 disputes were resolved peacefully and did not escalate to a court case.
In 2014, through Saferworld’s community security programme, the local community security working group (CSWG) teamed up with Mady’s local government to revive the LCPC – highlighting the role CSWGs can play in fostering relationships and addressing local safety and security issues. The LCPC’s members previously had mainly come from Mady’s local government, including the deputy head of Mady province, the head of social affairs, and the secretary. Through Saferworld and the CSWG’s initiative, the LCPC took on new community members from Saferworld’s community security programme, changing perceptions of the centre and reversing a cycle of decline.
According to the Head of the LCPC the result is that the LCPC is no longer seen as solely representing the municipality, instead it is now seen as representing the community through the CSWG members. It is also now seen as a more neutral body and by including the CSWG representatives in the LCPC membership, it has become more recognised as a separate non-municipal but public body.
The head of the LCPC explains the role of the CSWG members in catalysing the change: “Community Security Working Group members are taking in mind that the LCPC is a key formal institute in ensuring community security and preventing conflict on the local level. They wrote three official letters to the Mady municipality, requesting that they allocate premises for the LCPC and reform its membership. At that time the majority of members were municipal servants and had limited time for LCPC’s work. The CSWG also turned to the local neighbourhood police department asking them to support their initiative. In January 2014, the municipality allocated premises for the LCPC and assigned funds to refurbish the building. The neighbourhood police department also donated some funds to renovate the floor. Later on the LCPC’s old membership list was updated with new members and included mainly CSWG members.”
The LCPC’s new membership was appointed by the local administration who believed that the LCPC would become more efficient with more dedicated members. As a result the LCPC’s reputation among the local municipality and local law enforcement agencies considerably improved. Now the Mady municipality is referring petitions on disputed issues it receives from residents onto the reactivated LCPC. Previously these petitions were referred to local neighbourhood police who opened investigation cases. According to locals, this new process has made reporting crime incidents less problematic.
The Head of Aksakals Court of the LCPC in Mady explains. “Before if a written complaint was made to the local neighbourhood police, they opened the case and made the investigation. Now written complaints are referred to the LCPC, which mediates between disputed sides, not allowing dispute to grow into a court case. Thus it maintains relations between people and improves the image of the police.”
A local resident of Asanchek village, in Mady, adds: “If there was not an operating LCPC in Mady I would have to make a complaint to law enforcement bodies, but by doing so I would worsen relationship with my relative with whom I have now dispute.”
According to the head of the LCPC, the municipal government used to doubt the importance of the LCPC. However now that the LCPC’s new members have successfully resolved a number of disputed issues before they escalated to municipal level, the municipal government recognises the importance of the LCPC’s work. “The municipality started paying more attention to the LCPC, as it better understands the importance of maintaining peace and stability after the June clashes.”
Find out more about Saferworld's work in Kyrgyzstan.
Local Crime Prevention Centres are usually made up of one or two representatives of the Aksakals (Elders’) Court, the Youth Council, the Women’s Council, and community leaders (known as domkoms or kvartalnyi) who work closely with local neighbourhood inspectors. Membership of LCPCs varies from region to region, however they are usually made up of no more than ten people.
The Aksakals (Elders’) Court is a mediation body that handles disputes between community residents that relate to family, property, land and other everyday issues. The court aims to ensure that these disputes do not escalate into court cases.
