TASHKENT, December 16. /Dunyo IA/. Today, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the new building and got acquainted with the educational and scientific activities of the Law Enforcement Academy of Uzbekistan, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press-service of the Head of our state, the Academy was established on the basis of the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office in accordance with the decree of the President of Uzbekistan dated November 28, 2022, "On the introduction of a fundamentally new system for training qualified personnel in crime investigation".

Over a short period, the academy has transformed from a narrowly specialized educational institution into a full-fledged specialized higher education and research institution with a continuous education system, providing training for prosecutorial and investigative bodies based on a unified approach.

The Academy's faculty and management staff is composed of qualified specialists with practical experience in prosecutorial and law enforcement agencies, as well as in research and expert institutions.

Over the past period, the infrastructure on the Academy's campus has been progressively expanded: a new five-story administrative building, a modern dining hall, a hotel, and a co-working space for students have been constructed, while the conference hall and library have been completely renovated.

Additionally, two academic buildings and two dormitories have undergone major renovations, doubling the student capacity. The construction of outdoor and indoor sports complexes is currently underway.

To ensure a strong link between theory and practice, twelve specialized facilities have been established, including forensic training areas, special halls for courtrooms, interrogation and lineup equipped with Gesell mirrors, a cyber range, and laboratories for "darknet" and forensic analysis.

The Academy has implemented a two-tier system of higher education, comprising bachelor's and master's programs. Starting from the 2023/2024 academic year, for the first time in the country, bachelor's programs in "Investigative activities" and "Prosecutorial activities" have been launched. A new bachelor's program in "Cyberlaw" is planned to open next year to train "cyber-prosecutors" and "cyber-investigators" focused on combating cybercrime.

The master's program trains specialists in "Investigative activities" and "Prosecutorial activities," as well as in fields unique to the national education system, such as "Anti-Corruption activities" and "International human rights law." Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, a master's program in "Legal provision for cybersecurity" will be launched.

A fundamentally new professional development system has been introduced, which ensures continuous training for employees of prosecutorial and investigative agencies at least once every three years.

A new system has been established for retraining senior officials of prosecutorial agencies, providing initial specialization for new recruits, and retraining inquiry officers and investigators from authorized bodies.

Distance and blended learning courses are widely used, along with an elective training model tailored to the individual needs of staff. This allows every employee to continuously enhance their skills throughout their career via a personalized educational path.

Distance and blended learning courses based on artificial intelligence technologies have been introduced via a specialized portal. The system makes active use of an AI-based virtual assistant and digital video simulations depicting problematic situations encountered in actual investigative practice.

To provide free legal assistance to the public, a legal clinic and a dedicated electronic platform have been established. Students are involved in this work, developing practical skills under the guidance of experienced specialists.

Moreover, a Scientific and Educational Center for Combating Corruption has been established, providing master's degree training as well as scientific and methodological support for the dissertation council.

To counter cybercrime and other global threats, and to train qualified specialists in this field, the Scientific Research Institute of Digital Forensics was established within the academy's structure last year, based on relevant decrees of the President of Uzbekistan.

Notably, the modern cyber laboratory has conducted 439 complex digital investigations and forensic examinations, resulting in 189 cybercrimes being solved.

The academy's project office is implementing over 15 projects in collaboration with experts from the USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Russia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

The academy operates a scientific council covering ten scientific specializations, with “Corruption issues” council being the only one of its kind in the country. The academy's research potential has increased from 26 to 67 percent over the past three years.

The President inspected the academy's special rooms for simulating court trials, interrogations, and identification procedures, as well as other specialized classrooms and the modern facilities at the information resource center. He also spoke with the students.