Officers of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service got an in-depth look at emerging trends in travel document forgery and explored ways to strengthen co-operation with the United Kingdom during an online seminar organized on 23 April by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in partnership with the UK HM Passport Office and Beruku Identity, an expert group on digital identity, personal data and cybersecurity.
With more and more Ukrainians crossing into the UK and seeking visas in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine, participants discussed the opportunities and challenges of the schemes launched by the UK that open visa pathways for Ukrainians. They looked at how document-related crimes affect the situation and how to improve cross-border co-operation among law enforcement to ensure the security and integrity of these schemes.
During the online training, experts from the UK HM Passport Office outlined the advanced design principles of UK passports and their adherence to international standards such as ICAO 9303. These standards require security features and machine-readable elements that facilitate reliable border checks and prevent forgery. Knowing which features to look for is essential to detecting forged documents.
Experts from Beruku Identity also provided an in-depth presentation on security features embedded in UK travel documents. They focused in particular on Diffractive Optically Variable Image Devices (DOVIDs), which offer strong protection against counterfeiting by displaying dynamic visual effects that are difficult to replicate.
Forensic document experts from the Main Forensic Centre of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine also demonstrated how participants can use practical methods for verifying both physical and electronic documents on Ukraine's Diia App, which centralizes digital documents such as Ukrainian ID card, biometric passport, driver's license and more.
The seminar was part of an ongoing project supporting OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation in reducing the illegal crossing of borders by using a fake or stolen identity. This project is generously funded by the United States of America.
