VZCZCXRO5818
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #2191/01 1720845
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210845Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ALMATY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5841
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ5//
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-2//
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCJ5//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP EURASIA//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP-SOLIC-CN//
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC//IET//
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ASTANA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ALMATY 002191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL PRAHAR, MCCOWAN AND CARROLL; EUR/ACE; SCA/CEN (J. 
MUDGE) 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ASEC KCRM KCOR PREL KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN:  PROCURATOR GENERAL'S OFFICE WANTS CHANGE IN 
LAW ENFORCEMENT METHODS 
 
 
ALMATY 00002191  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: INL funded a conference on improving the 
collection of crime statistics, organized by the Procurator 
General's Office in conjunction with the Customs Control Committee 
and the Border Guard Service.  The main purpose of the conference 
was to improve collection of legal statistics in order to provide 
accurate data upon which the GOK can make management and resource 
allocation decisions to combat narcotics trafficking and other 
crimes.  Participants discussed evaluation criteria for law 
enforcement agencies, problems connected to storage of seized 
narcotics, and difficulties implementing existing legislation. 
The interagency outcome document contained many of the issues 
raised during the conference and indicated a willingness of law 
enforcement agencies to cooperate and improve methods of work, and 
most importantly to jointly try to effect positive changes to 
existing practices.  End summary. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶2. (U) In the framework of the Letter of Agreement between the 
Government of Kazakhstan and the U.S. Government, the Bureau on 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) sponsors 
a series of conferences/seminars to improve the collection of 
crime statistics.  INL programs are joint efforts with host 
government agencies to effect change in the various spheres of law 
enforcement in Kazakhstan.  The INL-funded conferences are 
therefore organized by the Committee on Legal Statistics and 
Special Accounting (Statistics Committee) of the Procurator 
General's Office (PGO).  The participants come from across the 
spectrum of law enforcement agencies and departments in 
Kazakhstan. 
 
------------------- 
CONFERENCE IN TARAZ 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) On April 28, the Statistics Committee of the PGO conducted 
the most recent conference entitled "Present-Day Problems in 
Registration of Crimes and Infringements Related to Illegal 
Trafficking of Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors." 
The conference took place in Taraz, Kazakhstan.  Representatives 
from several law enforcement agencies took part in the conference, 
including the Border Guard Service of the Committee of National 
Security, the Customs Control Committee of the Ministry of Finance 
(Customs Control Committee), and the Committee on Combating Drug 
Trafficking and Controlling Circulation of Narcotics of the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Counter-Narcotics Committee.) 
Participants represented Southern and Eastern regions of 
Kazakhstan.  Previous conferences have focused on other regions of 
the country.  Law enforcement representatives gathered in Taraz to 
find solutions to problems in registration of crimes related to 
illegal trafficking of narcotics and precursors that arise in 
their everyday work. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
QUALITY VS QUANTITY - HOW YOU MEASURE IS WHAT YOU GET 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Presently law enforcement agencies are evaluated 
according to the quantity of narcotics-related cases opened.  This 
standard encourages the (relatively) easy arrest of drug addicts 
instead of the more difficult task of investigating and arresting 
drug dealers.  A number of speakers pointed out that the emphasis 
should be on the quality rather than quantity of detected crimes, 
which should also result in increased effectiveness combating 
narcotics.  Topics that were covered at the conference varied from 
improvement of cooperation between customs control agencies and 
border guards to lack of standards for storage of seized narcotic 
substances.  However, almost all representatives of different law 
enforcement structures stressed the necessity of changing the 
criteria for evaluation of work of law enforcement agencies. 
 
----------------- 
SEIZED NARCOTICS 
----------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Conference participants raised the issue of storage of 
 
ALMATY 00002191  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
seized narcotic substances.  They pointed out that a lack of 
standards for storage of seized narcotics affects the work of many 
agencies and especially the accuracy of collected statistics. 
Participants listed the following problems: a) lack of unified 
procedures for labeling and wrapping of seized narcotic substances 
in order to maintain proper chain of custody that is necessary for 
the evidence to be used in prosecution of the cases; b) mistakes 
in forensic examination procedures of seized substances (such as 
examination of suspected substances without prior registration or 
submission of substances in damaged and/or improperly sealed 
wrappings which could affect the determination of the quantity or 
purity of the evidence); c) lack of standardized requirements 
regarding how to indicate the quantity of substance submitted for 
and remaining after forensic examination; and d) lack of a way to 
calculate the weight of vegetative narcotic substances to account 
for desiccation during storage. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
CURRENT LEGISLATION HINDERS CRIME DETECTION 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Representatives from divisions of the Counter-Narcotics 
Committee brought to the PGO's attention problems in the 
implementation of narcotics-related legislation that lead to a 
decrease in crime detection and/or falsification of documentation. 
As an example, they identified a legal provision regarding arrest 
procedures that creates difficulties in making valid arrests. 
Under Kazakhstani law, a witness is required to validate an 
arrest.  They pointed out that during nighttime operations, or 
those occurring in sparsely populated areas, it can be very 
difficult to find witnesses in order to make an official record of 
an arrest/seizure.  As a result, officers often do not make any 
record of arrests, or falsely state that the required number of 
witnesses was present.  A number of speakers emphasized the need 
to improve existing legislation and made concrete suggestions to 
that effect, but not all of them made it into the outcome document 
of the conference. 
 
-------- 
OUTCOMES 
-------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Conference participants listed six recommendations in the 
final document, including an important recommendation made jointly 
to the Statistics Committee of the PGO and the Counter-Narcotics 
Committee of the MVD to change the evaluation criteria for law 
enforcement agencies in combating trafficking of narcotics and 
drug addiction. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Customs Control Committee and Border Guards reached 
an agreement to jointly develop and forward to field offices, 
regulations on cooperation between these two agencies during 
detection of illegal narcotics and other contraband prohibited for 
import-export. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Participants of the conference recommended to the Counter- 
Narcotics Committee and Statistics Committee that the results of 
the law enforcement agencies on methods of storage, identification 
of trafficking routes, and conduct of searches should be analyzed 
quarterly. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Two of the problems concerning storage of seized 
narcotic substances are reflected in the recommendation to the 
Forensic Center of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to develop a way 
to calculate the weight of vegetative substances which have dried 
out during long-term storage.  Another recommendation to the 
Forensic Center together with the Statistics Committee was to 
support the creation of an additional segment of the quarterly 
report of the Statistics Committee that would contain information 
on the quantity of narcotics, psychotropic substances and 
precursors used during forensic examinations.  Both 
recommendations aimed at keeping more accurate records of seized 
substances. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Lastly, participants of the conference recommended that 
the Military Administration of the Statistics Committee submit 
proposed changes to the Administrative Code of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan regarding bringing military personnel to account for 
 
ALMATY 00002191  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the crimes related to the trafficking of narcotics in accordance 
with the standard regulations. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Although not all of the suggestions made it to the final 
Recommendations Document, those that did indicate that law 
enforcement officers are willing to cooperate with each other and 
to improve their methods of work in combating narcotics related 
crimes.  Most attendees expressed their satisfaction with the 
conference and graciously welcomed the opportunity to discuss 
difficult questions that arise on daily basis. 
 
ORDWAY