Why Georgian police don't take bribes

In Georgia the police are no longer taking bribes and it takes a citizen just 5-10 minutes to register a car or other property with the authorities or to obtain a passport, stated Avtandil Mikatsadze, Charge d'Affaires of Georgia in the Republic of Moldova, in an interview with Info-Prim Neo. “Georgia has implemented over 70 reforms. The most widely known is perhaps the police reform. Expressed in numbers, it can be described as follows: in 2011 the confidence level in the Georgian police stood at a striking 87%, occupying the third place among state and public institutions after the church and the army. To compare: in 2005, the confidence level enjoyed by the police was a lowly 5%. It should be noted here that since the reform's start and thenceforth the confidence level in the police has never dropped below 70%”, said the Georgian diplomat. He went on to give technical details about the police reform. “In one day alone, in August 2004, roughly 15,000 police and traffic police officers were fired. For two months, there wasn't any agency to supervise traffic safety in the country, yet that didn't lead to an increase in the number of accidents. This meant that the road inspectorate as an institution was actually ineffective and didn't improve to any extent the situation on the roads”, said Avtandil Mikatsadze. According to him, the Georgian government demonstrated political will in implementing the police reform, acknowledged the huge risks it carried, but remained firm and eventually succeeded. “To fire 15,000 police officers in one single day was quite painful for a small country with a population of 5 million people. Besides those fired, the measure naturally affected their families, and their friends also shared their discontent. Thus, an entire group of discontented people emerged, and the level of confidence was expected to drop. However, as a result of this radical measure, an entirely renewed police was created, and the people's attitude towards the political leadership of Georgia changed. It should be mentioned, nevertheless, that this success came at quite a heavy cost. The police reform is rightfully considered to be a Georgian hallmark. It has been a painful yet necessary measure, if we want to put an end to corruption”, said Avtandil Mikatsadze. The Georgian diplomat thinks that his country's example can be replicated by Moldova as well. “Georgia's example has demonstrated that Moldova, with which we share common cultural and historical traits, can also achieve such civilized rules, and in a short period of time, too. It has demonstrated that in five years a country's life can improve dramatically”, stated Avtandil Mikatsadze, Charge d'Affaires of Georgia in the Republic of Moldova, in an interview with Info-Prim Neo dedicated to the 21st anniversary of Moldova's Independence.