In the first half of 2026, Uzbekistan's internal affairs agencies detained 5,010 wanted individuals and located 2,633 missing citizens, returning them to their families. This was announced at a press conference on July 14 involving the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), as reported by a Gazeta correspondent.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Head of the Investigation Department Ramazon Ashrapov stated that law enforcement officers proactively identified 19,755 crimes nationwide in the first half of 2026. This represents a 31% increase compared to the same period last year, when 15,032 such crimes were recorded.
Large-scale joint operations are being conducted to protect public health and the nation's gene pool from drug addiction. As a result, 8,653 criminal cases related to illicit drug trafficking were initiated, and 2,733 kilograms of narcotics were seized from criminal groups and individuals. Of these, over 52 kilograms were synthetic substances, along with 2,651 potent medications.
Crimes committed using information technology have become a major concern. During the reporting period, over 41,000 crimes were registered nationwide, 93% of which involved the theft of citizens' funds through electronic payment systems.
In the first half of the year, no crimes were committed in 5,778 mahallas (neighborhoods), accounting for 64% of all such communities across the country. In the same period of 2025, crime-free mahallas numbered 5,306, or 59.1%.
Addressing the service performance of personnel, Ashrapov noted that 18 officers died while performing their duties in the first half of 2026, and another 78 were injured. This year, 14 internal affairs officers have been awarded state honors, while over 73,000 employees have been recognized by the MIA.
In response to a journalist's question about high-profile cases involving police misconduct, Ashrapov acknowledged that each such incident is painful for the system. He noted that some videos circulated on social media do not reflect the full picture. "If a negative video is seen by 100,000 people, a subsequent positive report reaches only 1% of that audience," he said. However, he emphasized that 75% of violations within the system are detected by its own compliance service.
Deputy Head of the Penitentiary Department Bahrom Madiyarov admitted that the penitentiary system has not yet been fully digitized, but the minister's attention is now focused on this issue. Over 9,000 surveillance cameras have been installed in correctional facilities, nearly 95% of which are digital. Integration with the "Demet" system is nearing completion and is expected to be operational within one to two months.
Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Department Erali Bozorov recalled that the procedure for permitting window tinting was introduced by a government resolution in 2018. Initially, the permit cost 90 times the base calculation value (over 37 million soums), but after four amendments, the price was reduced 11-25 times to 3.296 million soums. Rear side and rear windows can now be tinted free of charge. When asked about a possible seasonal discount, Bozorov simply replied: "No."
Head of the MIA's Personal Security Department Husniddin Azizov stated that officers who report bribe offers are rewarded. In the first half of 2026, 136 officers filed such reports. However, there is no fixed monetary reward for all cases.
Concluding the event, Ashrapov highlighted improvements in investigation quality. Over 116,000 criminal cases were investigated in the first half of the year, with approximately 40,000 completed. The number of acquittals has decreased: in 2018, there were 151 acquittals out of 35,000 cases, while now there are 44 acquittals out of 40,000 cases, indicating gradual improvement. The President has set strict requirements to prevent unjust accusations and ensure that guilty parties do not evade responsibility.
Source: www.gazeta.uz