Individual Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2010, corruption and impunity are pervasive in the police force. Traffic police, in particular, are notorious for soliciting bribes. The police sometimes use false charges to arrest persons and solicit bribes in exchange for their release.

Global Integrity 2007 reports that the Kyrgyz traffic police are perceived as being systemically corrupt and as commonly extorting money from motorists. Former President Bakiyev also identified pervasive corruption within traffic police as a serious problem, according to a 2008 article by Eurasia Insight.

Business Corruption

Companies should be aware that law enforcement agencies have a poor reputation. Business executives surveyed by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 report that the police cannot be consistently relied upon to enforce law and order. This is further corroborated by the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys 2009, which reveals that a substantial part of the surveyed companies pay for security in Kyrgyzstan, while an equal part identifies crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in the country.

Corruption is widespread within law enforcement agencies and legal provisions are applied randomly. Corruption and incompetence in the police force has led to uncontrolled crime in many areas of the country. Police are known to be actively involved in organised crime.

Political Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2009, the payment of bribes to avoid investigation or prosecution poses a major problem at all levels of law enforcement. According to the same source, law enforcement officials have been dismissed and prosecuted for various offences, including corruption, abuse of authority, and police brutality. According to the US Department of State 2011, the Kyrgyz government has created special police anti-corruption units; however, they have yet to show their effectiveness. The government has thus taken steps to address corruption in the police force, including public commitments to fight corruption and a 50% increase in officers' salaries, according to the US Department of State 2008. A restructuring of the traffic police took place in 2005 based on Georgian experiences and with financial support from USAID.

According to Global Integrity 2008, the law enforcement agencies are not protected from political interference. Likewise, appointments to the police are seldom based on professional criteria, and party loyalties or personal relationships are usually considered. Moreover, some law enforcement officials, most often high-level figures, reportedly enjoy protection from criminal investigations. Nevertheless, in May 2009, a police investigator from Leninski District in Bishkek was arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of office. He had allegedly demanded a bribe of approximately USD 180 from a foreign citizen, according to the US Department of State 2009.

In May 2009, the Ministry of Interior, working with the National Anti-Corruption Agency and the Prosecutor General's Office, arrested Stalbek Momunaliev, a Leninski District police investigator, in Bishkek. Momunaliev allegedly had demanded a bribe of USD 170 from a foreign citizen, according to the US Department of State 2010.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012:
- Business executives give the reliability of Kyrgyz police services to enforce law and order a score of 2.8 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:
- 45% of the companies surveyed pay for security in Kyrgyzstan.

- Nearly 43% of the companies surveyed identified crime, theft and disorder as major constraints on doing business in Kyrgyzstan.