SURCAP Participants Learn about Blue Border Surveillance and Raising Anti-corruption Awareness

Training workshops on blue border surveillance and raising anti-corruption awareness were held in Kiev, Ukraine on 12 – 14 November 2012. These workshops represented the first two training sessions of the project “Strengthening the Surveillance Capacity on the Green and Blue Border between the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine (SURCAP)”.

Presentations on blue border surveillance and anti-corruption awareness were given to participants during the three-day workshop. Participants learned about: 1) contemporary border surveillance and detection technical systems used at water border sections, 2) coordination of actions among air, land and water border surveillance units, 3) the methodology to use and 4) the maintenance of border small-scale floating devices. In addition, possible options for the coordination of activities of both countries on river border surveillance were also discussed among the participants and experts.

Presentations on raising anti-corruption awareness were followed by interactive work and discussions, as well as brainstorming on the ways of fighting corruption in Belarus and Ukraine. The workshop included methodology on the identification of areas vulnerable to corruption; legal and organisational aspects of cooperation among law-enforcement agencies aimed at the detection and prevention of corruption; the promotion of a “zero tolerance policy” and teaching methods to educate students of border colleges on anti-corruption basics.

Both Belarusian and Ukrainian border guards took a proactive part in the training. They introduced their work and described their experience in blue border surveillance and fighting corruption.

EU innovations in the protection of state borders based on high technology and up-to-date equipment, as well as the session on technical facilities for border protection and application of water transport for the detention of violators, were highly evaluated by the Belarusian and Ukrainian border guards. The workshops received positive feedback from the participants due to the comprehensive agenda, qualified experts and general organisation.