KYRGYZSTAN Country Profile

Police

Individual Corruption

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. According to the US Department of State 2008, although arbitrary arrest and detention are legally prohibited, police have occasionally arrested individuals based on false charges and then solicited bribes in exchange for their release.

Business Corruption

Companies should be aware that law enforcement agencies have a poor reputation. According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, surveyed business executives identify Kyrgyzstan as performing very poorly in relation to the reliability of police services to enforce law and order. 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 2008, 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 2009, the Kyrgyz government has created special police anti-corruption units; however, they have yet to show their effectiveness. Nevertheless, the government took steps to address corruption in the police force, including public commitments to fight corruption and a 50% increase in officers' salaries. A restructuring of the traffic police took place in 2005 based on Georgian experiences and with financial support from USAID.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010:
- 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:
- Nearly 43% of the companies surveyed identified crime, theft and disorder as major constraints on doing business in Kyrgyzstan.