KAZAKHSTAN Country Profile

Police

Individual Corruption

Citizens often face demands for bribes by Kazakhstan's traffic police. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, in the early 2009, an anti-corruption policy was adopted by the Kazakhstani government, which includes an almost 300% boost in salaries for traffic police. According to a poll released by the Crime Statistics Committee under the General Prosecutor's Office, a substantial part of the population did not believe that the government can protect them from infringement of their civil rights, especially infringement by the police, as cited in the US Department of State 2008. In addition, according to the same report, public perception of police effectiveness was low, and corruption among law enforcement officers was believed to be high.

Business Corruption

Foreign companies operating in Kazakhstan frequently report harassment by the Financial Police in the form of unannounced inspections and other methods, according to the US Department of State 2009. The same source reports that law enforcement agencies have occasionally intimidated foreign investors perceived to be uncooperative with the government.

Political Corruption

Law enforcement agencies like the police and the Financial Police have a reputation of being corrupt. There are many reports indicating the sale of positions in law enforcement.

Law enforcement officers are not immune from criminal proceedings and have been singled-out for corruption and abuses of power. However, while individuals may be targeted, the state protects the overall legitimacy of its agencies.

It is illegal for police officers to belong to a political party. However, there have been several reports of the police acting as a tool of the current government in its efforts to suppress the opposition. The opposition considers the Financial Police as one of the most corrupted state bodies and considers it to be a tool of the current ruling political group to harass the opposition.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010:
- Business executives give the reliability of the Kazakhstani police services to enforce law and order a score of 3.4 on a 7-point scale (1 'cannot be relied upon at all' and 7 'can always be relied upon').

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2009:
- Over 41% of companies surveyed identify crime, theft and disorder as a major constraint on doing business.

Global Integrity: Kazakhstan Country Report 2007:
- 55% of road police admitted they take part in corruption.

EBRD & World Bank: BEEPS Kazakhstan 2005:
- Municipal police inspected the surveyed companies an average of 0.5 times a year, the average duration of these visits being 0.7 hours.