Kyrgyzstan set to establish new patrol police force

BISHKEK -- A new police force in Kyrgyzstan emerging from recent reforms will be responsible for general public safety, 24.kg reported.

The unit is the product of a merger of the traffic police and the Police Patrol and Checkpoint Service, according to President Sooronbay Jeenbekov's press office.

The new force "will be responsible not only for safety on the roads but in general for public safety in its assigned territories", said Tamerlan Ibraimov, director of the Bishkek-based Centre for Political and Legal Studies, during a meeting with Jeenbekov Monday (November 5).

The officers "will be constantly on the move to patrol their territory, detect crimes and prevent crimes", said Ibraimov.

"The most important thing is that the patrol police is turning into a social service aimed at helping citizens," he said.