President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has announced wide-ranging reforms to policing and public safety in Tashkent, positioning the capital as a pilot city for a new, service-oriented law-enforcement model aimed at responding to modern security challenges and improving everyday safety for residents.
Chairing a nationwide video-conference meeting, the president noted that Tashkent’s rapid economic growth and rising living standards have also been accompanied by more sophisticated forms of crime, including cybercrime, organised criminal activity and drug trafficking. He said the existing public-order system has struggled to keep pace with these changes and requires structural renewal.
The meeting sharply criticised the performance of several law-enforcement and supervisory bodies in the capital, pointing to outdated management approaches, weak coordination and insufficient use of digital tools. Particular concern was raised over the state of crime prevention at the mahalla level, despite it being described as the backbone of public safety policy. The government describes the mahalla as "a unique model of local self-governance that combines traditional community principles with modern approaches to governance."
Several senior officials were reprimanded or dismissed following the review.
Crime statistics presented at the meeting highlighted a disparity across districts. Chilanzar was reported to rank first nationwide for domestic violence, robberies and hooliganism, while Yunusabad has the most armed robberies. Other districts recorded the highest numbers of murders, assaults and thefts, underscoring the need for more targeted, localised responses, the president said.
Under the new approach, Tashkent will introduce what officials described as a “capital city model” of public safety. Police patrol, traffic, security and prevention services will be unified into a single, coordinated system operating around the clock in three shifts. Rapid-response standards will be tightened, with patrol units required to arrive at incident scenes within five minutes. Police officers will also be required to accept citizens’ appeals regardless of jurisdiction, with requests made on the street treated as official emergency calls.
The reforms place heavy emphasis on technology. Drone patrols will be introduced in crowded areas, while surveillance and analytics systems under the “Safe City” programme will be further expanded. Today, the platform integrates tens of thousands of smart cameras, real-time monitoring centres and artificial-intelligence tools capable of tracking incidents and assisting investigations. Authorities say this has already saved hundreds of billions of soums in public funds through more efficient policing.
Cybercrime was identified as one of the fastest-growing threats. The number of cybercrime categories has risen from 18 to 62 in recent years, with most offences involving data theft, online fraud and the use of artificial intelligence to imitate voices and identities. To address this, a dedicated cybercrime department will be created within the Interior Ministry, overseen directly by the minister, while the Justice Ministry will establish a separate unit for digital law.
Officials also outlined social measures linked to the reforms. Police officers working night shifts will receive additional compensation, housing support for officers relocating to the capital will be expanded, and prevention inspectors will be granted salary bonuses tied to service length. Training requirements will also be strengthened, particularly in digital skills.
The shift mirrors trends seen in major cities worldwide, where policing models increasingly combine rapid response, community engagement and technology-driven prevention — approaches used in cities such as London, Singapore and Seoul. Uzbek authorities say the Tashkent pilot will later be rolled out nationwide if successful.
The president instructed officials to prepare the necessary legal framework to formalise the reforms, stressing that law-enforcement bodies must evolve into transparent, citizen-focused institutions, capable of meeting modern security demands.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fa...
Japan and Indonesia will deepen coordination on energy security, Tokyo said, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts vital oil and gas flows to As...
One month into the war on Iran which broke out on 28 February, and Tehran has intensified its diplomatic offensives in a bid to prove that Israel a...
China's three largest state-owned airlines have issued warnings regarding their financial outlook for the c...
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday t...
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
Japan and Indonesia will deepen coordination on energy security, Tokyo said, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts vital oil and gas flows to Asia.
China's three largest state-owned airlines have issued warnings regarding their financial outlook for the current year, acknowledging that the eruption of war involving Iran has driven jet fuel prices to unsustainable highs.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre and to voice their support for Ukraine, amid tensions within the bloc over blocked EU aid.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
Cuba and the United States have been at odds for more than six decades, with tensions rooted in the 1959 revolution that transformed the island’s political and economic system. Renewed focus on relations comes as Donald Trump’s rhetoric intensifies and conditions on the island worsen.
A senior Iranian military officer warned that American troops will become ‘food for sharks’ on Sunday if the U.S. launches a ground offensive in Iran. The threat came as contingents of U.S. Marines began to arrive in the Middle East, with thousands expected to be deployed in the region.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
Israel’s parliament has passed a law allowing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis, a move that has sparked sharp criticism both domestically and internationally.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in the escalating Gulf conflict, warning that only he could prevent it from spreading further.
The Middle East conflict has entered a new phase, with Israel expanding its operations into southern Lebanon and tensions with Iran escalating. Analysts warn that the collapse of traditional deterrence and rising nuclear risks could trigger a global arms race.
Imports of industrial goods into Kyrgyzstan surged in January 2026, driven by a construction boom and the modernisation of production capacity, with China supplying $51.2 million in electrical equipment to become the country’s largest trading partner.
Georgia’s Minister of Economy, Mariam Kvrivishvili, met UK Ambassador Gareth Edward Ward in Tbilisi on 27–28 March to discuss trade, investment and transport links between Georgia and the United Kingdom.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment