UNODC enhances the capacities of mid-level law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the verification of the authenticity of travel documents

From 25 May to 10 June, UNODC conducted a series of training courses on the verification of the authenticity of travel documents of persons crossing the state border at the road, rail, and air border crossing points.

Eighty-nine officers from key law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the trainings.

The trainings aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of the officers to effectively respond to challenges during an inspection of documents at checkpoints and strengthen their capacity to combat cross-border crime.

The trainings were delivered by Mr. Rainer Steckowski, an international expert with extensive experience in the examination of travel documents from the Federal Republic of Germany jointly with experts from training institutions of security and border agencies of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 

The trainings provided both theoretical and practical sessions.

During the trainings, the participants learned about the features of counterfeit documents, different printing techniques, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, interview techniques to identify victims of human trafficking, and about how to identify imposters who may use genuine documents, among others.

In the course of the practical sessions, the participants strengthened their skills in the use of magnifiers and ultraviolet light to examine travel documents.

Upon completion of the trainings, the participants were awarded certificates. They thanked UNODC and trainers and assessed the trainings very positively.

“It is very important for me to take part in this training and acquire the necessary knowledge and enhance my technical skills in the verification of the authenticity of travel documents. The training was very informative, interactive and practical. We will apply the knowledge gained during the training in our daily work,” said a training participant from Tajikistan.

“We thank UNODC for the support in strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies, including through providing training. That will help border law enforcement agencies perform their professional duties more effectively,” noted a training participant from the Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“The value of this training is indisputable as the officer’s capacity to duly identify the counterfeit documents and detect a victim of human trafficking in the passenger flow have a direct impact on the security of the communities and lives of people,” said Mr. Igor Tokmakov, professor of the Border Control Faculty of the Border Academy of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr. Rainer Steckowski stressed that “The UNODC trainings are an excellent platform to exchange professional experiences and share information. Officers from land and air borders, both experienced staff and recruits, take advantage of studying with participants with different levels of experience. The fact that the trainings were delivered by both national and international instructors, added value to them and stimulated fruitful discussions during and after the sessions. I am privileged that I conducted trainings together with such professionals.”

The trainings were organized under the UNODC regional project on Enhancing Capacity of Border Crossing Points and Improving Regional Cross-Border Cooperation by Promoting Border Liaison Offices’ (BLOs) Concept and Development of Information and Communication Networks for Border Agencies of Sub-programme 1 “Countering transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and preventing terrorism” of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025.

BLOs are established 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.

UNODC has assisted with the establishment of 19 BLOs in geographically remote and potentially vulnerable border crossing points in Central Asia. Each of the participating countries has provided both premises and staff for the BLOs. UNODC is contributing to new infrastructure development and capacity-building through the provision of training courses, high-tech equipment and specialized analytical software needed to enhance database analysis and intelligence-sharing and establish sustainable information-sharing mechanisms at the regional level.

The project 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

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org