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In January and February 2013, in Armenia, Belarus, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Moldova, a civic monitoring is underway of the operation of police bodies that come in direct contact with citizens. In Moldova, Promo-LEX conducts a campaign under the slogan “Eyes on the police”, in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, between February 12 and 26 of this year.

The need for such monitoring emerged from an analysis of national laws and international standards, conducted by experts from the six countries in December 2012. A set of minimum requirements were developed to be met by law enforcement agents in each of these countries. Based on these requirements, a unique algorithm was developed to monitor police stations and police patrols. Thus, for the first time, civic activists developed and applied a unique tool with which to evaluate and compare the observance of human rights by the police in different countries. The exercise is implemented by UMDPL in Ukraine in collaboration with Promo-LEX, and is funded by the British Embassy in Ukraine.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Ion Bodrug, said: “We are happy to see the civil society get involved in independent and impartial monitoring of the police. This allows us to make decisions that improve police services. The reform of the police is citizen-oriented. We look forward to the final report of this exercise, and I hope it will help us to better understand the expectations of citizens and to respect them.”

“The behavior of the police in the society is often one of the most visible and relevant representations of a country or community of people. Moreover, the image of those in charge of law and order can substantially influence societal behavior. Citizens have high expectations and show special interest in law enforcement activities, so, in the next two weeks, we intend to take the pulse of the current situation and welcome the openness of the Ministry of Interior to this civic initiative. We will monitor public order police via a network of observers throughout the country, but we will also promote in the media a continued citizen oversight of the police. We will certainly communicate all the positive actions of the police to the society, but we will not overlook any negative actions either. In effect, we propose to assess, understand and present to the public the reality as it is found by the Promo-LEX observers”, said Ion Manole, Promo-LEX Executive Director.

Promo-LEX developed a Code of Conduct for its monitors, and suggest all citizens that will get involved in the campaign to adhere to its provisions. Audio, photo, and video materials provided by the observers but also by citizens both on the positive actions of the police as well as on those showing the ugly side of the police, will be published on Promo-LEX’s Facebook page as part of the campaign. The authors of those positive and less positive materials, who followed the Code of Conduct, could be identified, and gathered most likes on Facebook for their work, will be awarded prizes at the end of the campaign. In this way, the organizers of the campaign want to raise public awareness about police work, and inform the MOI leadership of any deviation admitted by the police, which will allow the Ministry to clarify the circumstances of those acts, and, where applicable, take appropriate measures to eliminate the cited shortcomings.

In conclusion, citizens throughout the country will have the chance to monitor the POLICE in the period of 12-26 February 2013, and namely: police clothing/uniforms, equipment and special means, as well as behavior, attitude or openness of the respective institutions.

Citizens are invited to share their experiences or cases involving employees and institutions of the Ministry of Interior. At the end, Promo-LEX and the MOI leadership will reward the most relevant, funny and interesting pictures or photos sent to [email protected] or [email protected].

For more details, please contact: Iulia Munteanu, Press Officer
Tel: (22) 450024, GSM: 069072579, email: [email protected]