Police Reform

Sports festival to prevent drug addiction and combat drugs

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan (OiT) together with the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Tajikistan within the last five years have been implementing the Drug Prevention Campaign in the framework of the project "Implementation of precautionary and preventive anti-drug and sport events in towns and districts of GBAO (Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region), Soghd and Khatlon regions, as well as Districts under Republican Subordination (DRS)." In doing so, they fund sports, cultural and public campaigns under the slogan "Tajikistan against drugs."

This year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Tajikistan has been actively involved in conducting these events. Society "Dynamo" has prepared an entire program of sporting, cultural and public events in this direction. The OSCE OiT has already informed the MIA management that "the OiT will support the MIA in conducting sport events under the motto "Sport against drugs", and in conducting the drug prevention campaign amongst youth. The purpose is fulfilling the OSCE commitments fully and in due time to assist in development and general police reform in Tajikistan."

According to the Counter Terrorism and Police Advisor of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan Mr. Ulf Billving, "the OSCE always promotes community policing, considering it to be a key element in the police activities. Strengthening communication and cooperation between the police, other state agencies and population, the OSCE used to and will support the development and implementation of plans on the drug combatting, prevention related issues."

The first event within the program is launched today in Kulyab, where 250 athletes on five types of sports began to fight for the championship title of Open Sport Festival amongst the law enforcement agencies. It conducted for the first time on such a countrywide scale. The opening ceremony of the sport games on 13 March 2014 was attended by the OSCE OiT representatives.

The Chief Secretary of the competition, a specialist of the MIA "Dynamo" Sarakhon Emomov has noted that the finalists of the competition were the teams from the MIA, State Committee on National Security and from the Border Troops. "The sport festival has succeeded and next year an event will be focused on the involvement of women's teams," said Emomov, adding that today women are represented only in competitions on table games and athletics.