Reforms in the Tashkent police will improve the public image of the police and its relations with the public, said Rustam Juraev, deputy interior minister of Uzbekistan, chief of the Tashkent police department at a press briefing on Saturday.
"We can say that there is indeed a wall between the public and the police," Rustam Juraev replied a question about how the public views the police officers. We had fought crime, but failed to build proper relations with the public. I think this is a big and complex problem that needs to be addressed comprehensively. "
"Police officers must perform their duties fairly, honestly and within the framework of laws, and they must also partner with public," he stressed.
He said that now a lot is being done to improve the public image of the police. He promised that in the near future the public will feel the changes.
"People are used to the fact that the law enforcement officers perform their duties in snow and in the heat. Perhaps police lacks goodwill when contacting with the public. People should view us as protectors. We must increase the degree of the partnership," he said.
"We need to be kinder, even with offenders, because in the end of the day they will answer before the law. We are just performers. Offenders answer before the laws and not us. The law enforcement officers must grasp this," Rustam Juraev stressed.
