A five-day training course for Ukrainian border control officers aimed at increasing their operational awareness to detect forged travel documents concluded in Cherkasy on April 8. This course will be followed by an advanced train-the-trainer program from April 11-16 2016.
The training course is organized by the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Transnational Threats Department in co-operation with the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) of the US Department of Justice. The course and the follow-up advanced train-the-trainer program will be conducted by two advisors from the Austrian Interior Ministry.
Twenty-four border control officers from Ukraine took part in the first course, while the train-the-trainer advanced program will see fourteen border control officers participate.
The training courses provide in-depth knowledge about the manufacturing process of forged travel documents, as well as the latest trends in counterfeiting methods and means of identifying them. The courses will aim at improving the Ukrainian border control officers’ ability to recognize original, forged and false documents, as well as to utilize forensic equipment to identify document forgery.
“Document counterfeit and forgery is nowadays found in all forms of crime and has become an increasingly significant challenge,” said Irina Donciu from the OSCE Transnational Threats Department. “In this broad context, travel document security is a priority area for OSCE counter terrorism efforts, aimed at preventing the cross-border movement of Foreign Terrorist Fighters, including the use of forged or fraudulent travel documents.”
Since the annexation of Crimea by Russia began in March 2014, and the associated conflict, Ukraine and its borders have come under increased scrutiny. Ukraine has already commenced work on a series of defensive systems of steel and concrete along the Russian border – the project is due for completion in 2018.
The courses are part of a series of six courses and work to build on the existing skills of officers in detecting forged travel documents, by disseminating knowledge on document security features, and the various frameworks of visa regimes.
