handover pilot designed to test the sustainability of the CSI’s efforts. Poised districts were to be managed by two national CSI staff members working as a team, overseen from afar by IPAs, and maintaining project progress. Meanwhile, those IPAs had moved into new CSI districts. Building Confidence between Law Enforcement Agencies and Communities The CSI was most successful in achieving progress in community-police relations over the course of 2012. The CSI’s co-location at 13 police stations across four provinces aided this development. Through daily interaction with local police officers, specifically NIs and JDIs, CSI IPAs were able to assess the skills of counterparts and advise them toward improvement on a regular basis. Training police officers to see themselves as proactive community members who engage the public informally and address problems before they evolve into crime was a key lesson emphasized at each project site. The practices promoted by IPAs included walking around in populated areas and holding casual conversations with residents, an important tool in community policing. While touring the city, Team Isfana encouraged their counterparts to engage citizens in an outgoing manner to dissolve tensions between the community and police. Perception of the police as concerned public servants led to enhanced understanding and communication between the population and law enforcement agencies. Over 400 police officers received training by the CSI on applying community policing principles or communication skills in their work. Thus, the CSI’s role was predominantly to introduce a dialogue between police and residents so that officers were able to determine trends and address them before they escalated to tension or violence. The responsiveness of the police then built public faith in their commitment to duty, and subsequently, trust. Several instruments were provided by the CSI to assist in this endeavour, including the Mobile Police Receptions (MPR) and Community Safety Working Groups (CSWG). Each had to overcome certain obstacles at various points, largely stemming from limited engagement and conviction on behalf of counterparts or community members. CSWGs were established in 2011 as a primary initiative, varying in their activity level from district to district. Membership often includes members of LCPC, NIs, Chiefs of Public Peace and Order, Youth Committee members, Court of Elders members, Women’s Committees, and other active interlocutors. During 2012, CSWGs continued to develop at different rates. While some, such as Ak-Buura in Osh city which met weekly, became productive and approachable forums for problem identification and instruments for their subsequent resolution, others had yet to reach the same level of engagement and activity. During CSWG meetings, matters of local concern were discussed in order to determine solutions. Any community-level problems which arose during MPR runs were relayed back to the CSWGs to deliberate on, and public events were designed and implemented under their supervision. Often these matters were centred on youth, particularly issues with antisocial behaviour among young people and the complementary problem of absentee parents in the district. In addition, utility issues with water distribution, electricity provision, and trash pickups were reviewed if problems existed. When community reports of police abuse surfaced, CSWGs provided an open forum for discourse and evaluation with police representatives. Police were also able to share criminal incidents so as to gather community assistance in their resolution. If individuals were reported as missing, or a string of robberies erupted in the neighbourhood, police were able to alert the local representatives to be vigilant. Strengthening of Local Crime Prevention Centres (LCPCs): LCPCs were established by the Government of Kyrgyzstan in 2006 to handle security issues at the community level. However, they suffered from a lack of administrative and financial support from their districts and the MOI. To counter this, in 2012, the CSI offered training to its members, fortified their 135