OSCE Transnational Threats Department training course partners with Ukrainian border guards to identify forged documents and imposters

Identifying forged documents and impostors at border crossing points was the focus of a two-week training course held from 4 to 15 March 2024 by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department. This course, which included both an introductory and an advanced component, took place in Krakow Poland in close co-operation with the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The hands-on training was delivered by experts from the Forensic Center of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to a training cohort of 28 border guards, including 19 women and nine men. The two Ukrainian experts had earlier completed an OSCE Training of Trainers course held in July 2023. This was the first time that experts trained through this project were used to share the knowledge they acquired with their peers.  

Participants improved their knowledge of the latest trends in the forgery of documents and the diversity of new travel document security features. They strengthened their technical expertise and practical skills in detecting counterfeit documents by conducting document verification using the Doculus Lumus magnifiers donated by the OSCE. Participants worked on real travel and identification documents in analyzing the techniques for forgery that lead to traveling on a stolen identity.

As the State Border Guard Service continues to confront the challenges caused by Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, participants noted the importance of improving their skills through training opportunities such as this course to also enable them to continue to learn and develop in very challenging circumstances.

The surge in border crossing at points on Ukraine’s western and southern borders since 24 February 2022 have resulted in an increased diversity of documents being used with a wider variety of national documents from around the world, a challenge that this training meets directly.

The training cycle will continue with a Training of Trainers course for a smaller cadre of participants selected from this group later this year. This is part of an ongoing project focused on supporting OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation in their efforts to reduce the number of people that manage to illegally cross borders using a fake or stolen identity or by posing as an impostor. This project is funded by the United States of America through its Mission to the OSCE.