From 21 to 25 September, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro and, Serbia, held a regional training-of-trainers (ToT) course on detecting forged documents and impostors at border crossing points. Hosted at the Police Cooperation Centre in Trebinje, BiH, the course brought together 18 experienced border police officers and forensic document experts from BiH, Montenegro and Serbia to strengthen their technical expertise and build their capacity as trainers, ensuring the long-term transfer of skills within their national border police services.
Delivered by experts from BiH and Serbia, the programme combined theory, hands-on exercises with genuine and forged specimens, peer learning, and participants' presentations to build their confidence in training their colleagues. Sessions covered practical detection skills, including substrate analysis, security printing techniques, recognition of printing methods and document evaluation under realistic conditions.
The regional focus reflects the ongoing threat of document forgery and identity fraud in South-Eastern Europe, where counterfeit and fraudulently obtained travel documents continue to facilitate migrant smuggling, trafficking in human beings and other forms of organized crime. Strengthening frontline officers' ability to detect such fraud is key to disrupting criminal networks and enhancing security and stability across South-Eastern Europe and the wider OSCE area.
With 18 participants trained as trainers, the course is designed to multiply its impact, equipping national border police services to extend detection skills to a much wider group of frontline officers. Since 2015, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department has delivered a series of similar ToT courses across the region, helping to standardise detection procedures at border crossings.
"I am confident that participants will leave this training with practical, hands-on skills for verifying document authenticity and detecting forgeries and impostors, which they can apply immediately and pass on to colleagues through future courses they deliver themselves," said Slobodan Krstić, a trainer and retired member of the BiH Border Police. "Bringing together border police from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro also creates a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and build a regional network of trainers in this field."
The course concluded with the handover of certificates, marking participants' readiness to serve as national trainers and roll out training to frontline officers across the region in 2026-2027, supported by follow-up mentoring for sustained impact.
This event is part of a series of activities on the detection of forged travel documents and impostors organized by the OSCE Border Security and Management Unit across the OSCE region since 2015.
