Cross-border risk analysis and practical implementation discussed at OSCE-led course in Poland

Participants are engaged in practical exercise on evaluation of border security system by observing green border surveillance and interviewing border officials at the Polish-Russian border. Bezledy, 5 April 2017 (OSCE/Hilola Gulomova)

KETRZYN, Poland, 7 April 2017 – A two-week workshop focusing on current and emerging trends in border security management draws to a close tomorrow at the Polish Border Guard Training Centre in Ketrzyn.

Mid- to senior-level border security managers from Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Ukraine attended the workshop, which was the concluding module of a one-year blended learning course on Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership (BSMSL).

This part of the course aimed at enriching participants’ knowledge in: risk management, crime intelligence and investigation; data and information management; facilitation of cross-border flows; border crossing procedures and taking decisions in complex situations; planning and deployment of border personnel; guidelines and legislative norms; and effective responses to emergencies in co-operation with internal and external partners and agencies.

“With all the knowledge obtained, our participants are able to develop policy advice for their agencies. We are proud to contribute to the education of a new generation of border security managers able to make quick and efficient decisions resulting in increased efficiency in border operations as well as secure borders and open doors,” said Dita Nowicka, the Director of the OSCE Border Management Staff College.

In addition to classroom study, the participants visited border surveillance posts and crossing points at the Polish-Russian border, where they were able to assess the efficiency of both border management models. On the basis of the field trips, the course attendees prepared evaluation reports detailing best practices and recommendations on how border security management can be improved.

“The evaluation reports prepared by participants initiated lively discussions with us, the border officers working in the field. Watching how this group interacts and generates joint solutions, we can predict their future co-operation and joint successes,” said Lt Col Wojciech Banasiak, Head of Analysis at the Warmińsko-Mazurski Border Guard Regional Unit, who is a graduate of the pilot BSMSL course.

The BSMSL course is co-organized with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and combines in-class lectures and online learning.