Tashkent, 24 October. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that in 2026 not a single crime was recorded in almost half of the country's mahallas and urged the Interior Ministry to bring digital technology and AI into policing, according to his greeting on the ministry's 35th anniversary.
A mahalla is a territorial community in Uzbekistan, the lowest level of local self-government, uniting the residents of a neighbourhood or village. The President attributed the absence of crime in almost half of them to the joint work of the police, mahalla activists and residents and called for this experience to be spread to all mahallas. The greeting does not say exactly how many mahallas went the year without crime.
Mirziyoyev dwelt separately on digital technology and AI in security, the early detection and prevention of cybercrime and the protection of citizens' property. He named the fight against drug addiction and organised crime, above all protecting young people, among the priorities. To this end, he said, staff training must be improved, dual education, in which study is combined with practice on duty, developed, and the experience of domestic and foreign specialists drawn on.
The day before, on 23 October, the President signed a decree awarding orders and medals to 35 police officers.
What it means: Uzbekistan's authorities are summing up police work through the mahallas and betting on digital tools and AI in crime prevention.
Who benefits: The Interior Ministry gets recognition and new tasks; mahalla residents, the promise of a safer environment. The greeting does not specify how AI will be introduced or what it will cost.
Background: Uzbekistan's Interior Ministry was founded in 1991. Mahallas take part in crime prevention together with the police.
We have also reported that Uzbekistan handed Iran a note of protest over posts about Samarkand.
