The three-day event organized by the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry and supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek brings together 180 senior and mid-level police managers from across the country. The workshop aims to facilitate change in managers’ attitudes and support the introduction of community-based policing by addressing personal and organizational resistance to change.

The workshop participants, with the help of experts from Turkey, Estonia and Lithuania, will gain the skills and knowledge needed to plan, implement and lead wide-spread organizational changes. Special attention will be paid to fostering the understanding of the needs of the community as the first priority for the police.

Evgeny Cherenkov, OSCE Police Reform Programme Manager at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: "Modern approaches to police management are important for the effective implementation of community policing principles in the ongoing democratic reform of the Kyrgyz police forces. Better understanding of the reform elements and support on the part of senior and mid-level police managers are a pre-requisite for achieving positive results."

Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiev said: "Introducing contemporary methods to the management, planning, organization and analysis of police work is a key aspect of the reform. We believe that this workshop will give a new impetus to the gradual transformation of police into a true social partner."

The workshop in Bishkek will be followed by another similar event in Osh on 17 and 18 December.