OSCE completes training of trainer on identifying false documents and impostors in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 5-16 December 2022, the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a two-week train-the-trainers course on identifying forged documents and impostors at border crossing points with the use of specialised equipment in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The hands-on training was delivered by experts from the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Austria and benefited nine (8 men, 1 woman) instructors from the Agency for Education and Professional Development (AEPMT) and the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Border Police who completed the basic course organised in 2021.

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 forensic equipment donated by the OSCE in March this year. Moreover, they worked on real travel and identification documents in analysing the techniques for morphing and detecting stolen identities.

This training cycle will be complemented by a study visit, which will be the concluding activity of the first training cycle of the OSCE’s project for enhancing operational awareness of border security and management officers to detect forged documents and impostors at border crossing points in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s. The project is aimed at 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.

The above-mentioned donation of the specialized equipment and the subsequent trainings on its use were made possible by the financial support of the United States of America