UNODC trains Kazakh mid-level border and customs officers on modern control techniques for vehicle, cargo and goods inspection

UNODC continues to strengthen the capacities of Kazakh law enforcement officers to respond to challenges during an inspection at checkpoints, combat cross-border crime and ensure effective border control.

On 4-8 October, UNODC conducted a national training course on modern control techniques for vehicle, luggage, cargo and goods inspection crossing the road and railway border crossing points for mid-level border and customs officers of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The training was delivered by the academic staff of the Border Academy of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mr. Lauris Krivans, UNODC international expert from Latvia. The training was the follow-up to the regional training held on 23-28 April 2021 in Almaty.

The training was held at the Border Academy of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its training range is well-equipped for carrying out simulation exercises.

 

“We will continue our effective cooperation with the Border Academy of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan in strengthening the training capacity. UNODC considers incorporating special training modules developed by UNODC and the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC) into the new computer classes training programme of the Border Academy. These training modules proved to be successful for the programme of the interactive computer classes on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz and Kazakh-Uzbek borders,” said Mr. Yusuf Kurbonov, UNODC International Programme Coordinator, in his welcome remarks.

The training provided both theoretical and practical sessions. During the training, the participants learned about advanced cross-border vehicle inspection procedures and control techniques, including inspection of cargo and trains, risk analysis and assessment, profiling, operational psychological assessment, among others.

 

“I would like to thank the organizers of the event. It was well-planned and conducted at a high level. The facilities of the training center of the Border Academy may serve as a model of excellence for similar centers in many countries of the European Union. I want to thank the participants for their strong interest, efforts, and communication during the training,” noted Mr. Lauris Krivans.

“During this training, we carried out practical exercises with the use of all technical and training facilities. The management of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan supports the further collaboration with the UNODC Cross-Border Cooperation Component, and we believe it will bring about more positive outcomes,” said Mr. Vitaly Khristiy, trainer.

 

The feedback received from the participants at the end of the training was very positive.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers and trainers for conducting such useful and informative training and sharing their expertise and best practices. We will apply the acquired knowledge and skills in our daily work,” said Mr. Alikhan Sayan, senior specialist of the Nur-Zholy customs post, the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

Mr. Ken Ozawa, UN Volunteer with the Cross-Border Cooperation Component of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia, noted: “I would like to thank the organizers and trainers for providing me with the opportunity to take part in the training and its simulation exercises. Being from Japan, I am proud that the Government of Japan invests into such beneficial project that contributes to the regional and global peace and security.”

 

The training was conducted within the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation Component of Sub-programme 1 “Countering transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and preventing terrorism” of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia designed to counter the trafficking of Afghan opiates through the northern route by establishing Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) at the key border crossing points in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. It is the first project to establish BLOs in Central Asia, and its stakeholders are the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Border Troops, Customs and Drug Control Agencies of each country.

The establishment of BLOs in Central Asia builds a strong foundation for further effective interagency and cross-border cooperation. To date, 19 BLOs have been established on the Tajik-Afghan, Uzbek-Afghan, Tajik-Uzbek, Kyrgyz-Tajik, Kyrgyz-Uzbek, Kyrgyz-Kazakh and Kazakh-Uzbek borders.

The component is funded by the Government of Japan.

 

For further information, please contact:

Nurangez Abdulhamidova

Communication and External Relations Officer

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (Dushanbe)

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org