OSCE, EU and UNDP train Tajik law enforcement agencies on chemical substances and precursors

DUSHANBE, 18 June 2014 – Twenty-six officers from Tajik law enforcement agencies completed a training course on chemical substances and precursors today in Dushanbe. The course was organized jointly by the EU-UNDP Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA) and Border Management Programme of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The event is part of a series of training courses aimed at developing the capacity of Tajik border security agencies to better cope with modern threats and challenges, especially in the fjeld of identification of narcotics and precursors.

The three-day training course was conducted by experts on chemical substances from the Latvian customs service for a selected group of officers of Tajik national agencies. Ten representatives of the Tajik Drug Control Agency, ten representatives of the Tajik Customs Service and six representatives from the Tajik Border Troops were trained. The course sought to introduce contemporary methodology and best practices in the control of precursors, identification of potential illegal smuggling of various chemical substances, efficient collection and information-sharing between national agencies, and co-operation with the private sector.

During the graduation ceremony, Hans Peter Larsen, Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan said: “Given the global importance of fight against drug trade, especially in the regions close to the countries of origin, this training course is part of the joint effort towards a safer and drug-free Tajikistan, and also the whole OSCE area.”  

Suhrob Kaharov, EU-UNDP BOMCA Country Manager in Tajikistan encouraged the participants to best use the newly-gained knowledge in order to maximize the results in the fight against the illegal drug trade and precursor control.

The objective of the Border Management Programme of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan is to assist Tajikistan’s border security and management agencies in the development of a sustainable national capacity to counter transnational threats, including drugs trade, as well as to engage national agencies in proactive cross-border co-operation, sharing of information, experiences and best practices with OSCE participating states.

The overall objective of the EU-UNDP BOMCA Programme is to help increase security in the Central Asian region, to contribute toward the facilitation of legitimate trade and transit, and to reduce the illicit movement of goods and people across Central Asian borders.