After a series of tragic incidents involving minors in Zhambyl Region, local authorities have moved to tough personnel decisions: regional governor Yerbol Karashukeyev issued severe reprimands to district heads, infohub.kz reports.
The regional head sharply criticized the work of the responsible government agencies. According to him, the preventive measures being carried out are often purely formal and produce no real results.
Yerbol Karashukeyev stressed that officials' performance should be judged not by the number of open lessons, trainings, surveys and raids organized, but by real safety on the streets and in schools.
The meeting ended with mass disciplinary action against the region's senior officials. A reprimand was issued to the deputy governor of Zhambyl Region. Severe reprimands were given to the governors of four districts: Baizak, Zhambyl, Talas and Kordai. Strict disciplinary penalties are also envisaged for the deputies of those district governors overseeing this area.
In addition, law enforcement agencies face a major review: the head of the police department has been ordered to conduct internal inquiries into the heads of police divisions in all four districts.
The regional leadership's harsh reaction followed a series of high-profile and tragic incidents involving minors that shook the region in October. In the village of Baizak, a boy born in 2011 died after a group conflict between teenagers. Law enforcement opened a criminal case over the incident.
A second high-profile case occurred in late October in the village of Birlesu-Yenbek in Zhambyl District. There, a ninth-grader suffered severe injuries in a fight and was admitted to intensive care. Police are now investigating not only the deliberate infliction of bodily harm but also reports that systematic school extortion (racket) may have triggered the conflict.