Best practices in conducting border checks discussed at regional workshop organized by OSCE Border Management Staff College

Representatives of the Austrian Ministry of Interior deliver training sessions on fraudulent document recognition at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, 17 November 2016. (OSCE/Khabib Rakhmonov).

A five-day workshop for 16 border and customs officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on best practices in conducting border checks concluded on 18 November 2016 at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe.

The workshop focused on border check procedures and international co-operation at borders, including the key elements of border control system, types of border crossing points, risk analysis and risk management, and best practices in conducting customs procedures. The participants also learned about methods for detecting smuggled and dangerous goods. Specific practical sessions focused on identifying the forgery of travel documents and relevant trends.

Experts from the Polish and Estonian Border Agencies, the Austrian Customs and the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs led the course sessions.

“Cross-border security challenges nowadays can be effectively prevented and tackled through inter-agency and international co-operation and sharing good practices,” said Ambassador Tuula Yrjola, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. “These series of courses offer a solid platform for identifying and sharing of such practices among border security and management officials attending and contributing to the course.”

The workshop is one of five educational events organized by the OSCE Border Management Staff College with support of the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Programme of the United States State Department.