OSCE, in Iasi, trains women officials on border security and management

Twenty-six women officials of the Border Guard, Border Police, Customs Services and Police from 11 OSCE participating States completed a five-day training course in Iasi, Romania on 12 December 2014 on border security and management.  The course was organized by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department.

The officials came from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

They took part in lectures and group exercises focusing on areas such as factors and influences in border security and management, good practices in trade facilitation, gender in the security sector, leadership and management by women, the use of Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in border surveillance, risk management and allocating human resources, migration, refugees and human trafficking.

Exercises, also led by participants themselves, included how to combat the smuggling of cigarettes, C4 explosives and heroin; border agency responses to earthquake and disasters in a neighbouring country; and a national level strategic review of border management policies.

“The training course gave a special opportunity for women who have fought by way of their work ethics, professional talent and persistence to achieve responsible leadership positions to share their successes with other leaders in the field of security and trade sectors,” said Dragica Jevtovic, Head of the Police Directorate in Uzice, Serbia.

The course concluded with a visit to the many agencies working at the border crossing point in Sculeni, Romania on the border with Moldova.

The course was organized by the Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) in response to a request from the Romanian Border Police.