OSCE trains Kazakhstan’s border service in profiling techniques

The fourth in a series of five OSCE-supported training seminars on profiling techniques at border checkpoints to help counter transnational crime started on 12 September in Karasu, Southern Kazakhstan.

Sixteen officers representing the Border Service of the National Security Committee will take part in the five-day event co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the United States Embassy in Kazakhstan.

Experts from the Association of Psychologists and Behavioural Therapists of Kazakhstan and the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center for Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC) will present an overview of the security situation in Central Asia with regards to the illicit trafficking of drugs, new psychoactive substances and their precursors. The training event will equip participants with psychological techniques to help identify potential criminals during the border crossing verification process.

The seminar sessions are focused on psychological profiling, identifying the elements of risk profiles and understanding the consistency between the type of vehicle, belongings and the purpose of the trip. Experts will also present ways to use different risk indicators depending on the scope of work at specific border crossing points. A practical exercise will complement the training course.

The seminar is a follow-up to earlier events held in Almaty, Kazygurt and Petropavlovsk and part of the Office’s long-term efforts aimed at enhancing the host country’s border security and management, while countering transnational threats.