Mirziyoyev commands law enforcement overhaul to guarantee investor security and curb urban crime

Mirziyoyev orders law enforcement shake-up to ensure investor safety and reduce urban crime

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev placed strong emphasis on public safety as an essential condition for economic growth during a high-level government meeting devoted to the socio-economic development, investment, employment, and modern infrastructure planning of the capital.

Speaking to the senior law enforcement leadership, the president instructed the Interior Minister to sharply intensify crime prevention measures in all urban areas.

"Until we suppress crime, our efforts will bear no fruit, and investors will not come. Everyone needs to understand this," Mirziyoyev said in a broadcast shown by the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel. "Every business leader and foreign company studies our map before arriving, checking whether public safety and order are genuinely guaranteed. The Interior Minister must keep this at the forefront of his operations."

"We must perform twice as hard to ensure our fellow countrymen can live in peace—safe, comfortable, and absolutely fearless in their own homes," the president continued. "I will not tolerate any rogue actors or self-proclaimed kingpins operating above the law; if anyone attempts to intimidate others, I will hold you all accountable. The state must rule. Only then will we foster trust, solidarity, and unity among our people."

The meeting also underscored the urgent need to tap the hidden economic potential of every city district and neighborhood in order to maximize high-return investments, domestic value-added production, and high-income job creation.

"Every district mayor must establish at least two major commercial hubs or shopping malls that act like magnets to draw in both residents and international tourists," Mirziyoyev directed.

Tashkent mayor Shavkat Umurzakov, together with the mayors of the capital's 12 districts, was given a firm deadline of October 1 to complete the selection of land plots, secure commercial investors, and obtain concrete funding sources for these projects.

"The capital must serve as the absolute gold standard for all provinces across every single sector," the president concluded.