President Zurabishvili: "devoted service" of police should not be undermined by individual cases

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has responded to the recent cases of police misconduct in the country, saying that the offenders should be "strictly punished," but the "devoted service" of the police should not be undermined by individual cases.

It is of the utmost importance for the public to have trust towards a state institution such as the police, which is responsible to protect public safety and human rights. The devoted service of the police to the country and the public is valuable, but sadly undermined by individual actions committed by some policemen. The offenders should be strictly punished, but the faces of particular people should not be generalised, and it is unacceptable to discredit a state institution because of individual cases, she said.

Two police officers were arrested on January 25 for physically assaulting a disabled teenager in Tbilisi metro.

Another police officer was arrested on January 26 for assaulting a woman in Georgia's western town of Zugdidi.