OSCE Centre organizes course for Kyrgyz Border Service on detecting false IDs

BISHKEK, 12 December 2008 - Eighteen Border Service officers completed a training course on identifying counterfeit ID documents in Bishkek today.

The ten-day course was organized by the OSCE's Anti Terrorism Unit and Borders Unit and the Centre in Bishkek. It took place at the Kyrgyz Border Service Training Centre. Graduates received kits containing tools that they will be able to use in their work.

"Fake IDs are a problem not only for Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, but for the whole region, especially in light of international terrorism, human and other forms of trafficking. Many crimes can be avoided or solved by detecting forged documents," said Jurgen Duftschmied, an advisor of the Austrian Interior Ministry, which helped to prepare and deliver the course.

Ulan Nasyrbek, a senior officer at the Kyrgyz Bureau of Interpol, added: "In our day-to-day work we deal with many forged documents, and this training taught us about the new technologies used to detect false passports."

The training course was part of the OSCE Centre's anti-terrorism programme.