relationships with CSWGs, police, and the community, and offered assistance in the renovation of their facilities. In 2012, there were 114 LCPCs of varying activity levels in the CSI project sites, composed of representatives of the Court of Elders, Women’s Committees, Youth Councils, and Veterans’ Councils. The CSI recognized that LCPCs were burdened with often significant responsibilities without training or support. Therefore, the CSI stepped in to train LCPCs in their roles both in the community and in the country. Nine training courses were held in seven project sites during 2012 exclusively for LCPC members and police officers addressing crisis prevention, conflict resolution, problem solving, domestic violence prevention, bride kidnapping, goal setting, and time management. MPR: The MPR are customized mini-buses which offer a space for the public to visit with the police, ask questions, or lodge complaints. Originally launched in July 2011 after training was delivered to the local police in its effective utilisation, 12 became operational in August 2011. With the expansion of the CSI into Aravan, Jalal-Abad city, and Nookat in July 2012, the total number of MPR reached 16, with an extra MPR granted to Kara-Suu due to its diligent utilization of the vehicle in the past, the large population of the district, and in recognition of it being a border community. Awareness-raising commercials for the vehicles were published in the newspaper, played on local television, and shared through electronic billboards in several CSI AORs, reaching out to all community members to take advantage of their availability. From July 2011 to December 2012, an estimated 22,000 people approached the vehicles both out of curiosity and to lodge complaints. The schedule of the vehicles were determined by the police in consultation with CSWGs based on community needs, and issues raised to police officers were brought back to the CSWGs for discussion (see above). Community members and police management stated that the vehicles had brought several benefits, including raising the profile of the police and reducing crime. There were two core tenets that the CSI conveyed through the MPR. First, that even if a matter is not criminal and is not by nature a “police” matter, a small issue may evolve into community unrest, and should be resolved in order to avert future community problems. Therefore, all utility issues or school problems should be taken seriously. Second, that building positive public perception requires following up on problems which are reported, as resolving someone’s personal concern, or visiting them to inform them of the status of their case, can make an indelible impact in their impression of the police. Respect and Protection of Human Rights by the Police Throughout 2012, human rights violations by law enforcement bodies remained a primary concern of the CSI. Reports were received by the CSI’s Human Rights Adviser (HRA), local, and international actors that arbitrary arrests persisted, as did extortion and abuse. In JalalAbad, CSI staff personally witnessed a situation unfold during which an individual was beaten by police officers in August. Though the police officers involved were from the Department for Combating Organized Crime, and not police officers with whom CSI had been working, it was indicative of the environment under which the project was operating. It should be noted that the police whom CSI were dedicated to assist (NIs and JDIs) were the least likely to be the object of complaints of abuse among police officers. As indicated by reliable independent observers’ reports, among them well-known NGOs, criminal police, investigative officers, or traffic and patrol police were more likely to be involved in cases of arbitrary arrest, extortion, and general corruption. When possible, though, the CSI attempted to include officers from other departments in their Human Rights and Police Ethics Courses to spread information on international standards. 136