An OSCE-organized national seminar on professional integrity and ethical standards in law enforcement took place on 12 and 13 July 2018 in Ashgabat. Officials from the national security, interior, justice and defense ministries, the Supreme Court, the State Service to Combat Economic Crimes, the State Migration Service and other law enforcement bodies of Turkmenistan participated in the event.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the seminar to contribute to an enhanced understanding of professional integrity and current ethical standards for the conduct of law enforcement.
The two-day seminar was delivered by international and OSCE experts from the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), the Secretariat’s Gender Section and the Mission in Serbia. The topics addressed included international standards and initiatives in combating and preventing corruption, codes of conduct for law enforcement structures and measures to identify fraud and corruption in law enforcement.
“The professional and moral potential of law enforcement staff is the capability of officials to combat criminality and corruption, to counter challenges in their routine work and the negative impact of factors weakening the sense of duty and responsibility, honour and professional dignity,” said Natalya Drozd, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
The participants looked at the forms and patterns of corruption and discussed in groups real cases related to corruption in law enforcement and conflict of interests in government structures. The experts stressed the importance of strengthening officers’ integrity and internal control in law enforcement.
