Border Guard and Law Enforcement Agencies of Central Asia enhance cooperation in investigating cross-border crimes

From March 2 – 4, the Border Management Programme in Central Asia held a regional workshop in Tashkent for the Heads of Investigation Units of the Border Guard and Law Enforcement Agencies from Central Asian countries. The workshop expanded coordination and cooperation in the area of information exchange between the law enforcement agencies dealing with the investigation of cross-border crimes.

During the workshop, legal instruments for the information and evidence exchange, as well as the EU member states’ practices in the joint investigation of cross-border crimes, joint risk analysis and the use of criminal intelligence information were presented. To facilitate information exchange in the crime investigation, possible amendments to the relevant regulations were proposed, based on the analysis of the legal framework and legal powers of the participating institutions in the area of ​​information exchange. The latter include the results of the crime analysis of cross-border crime investigations and evidence exchange.

The Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA), funded by the European Union (EU), aims to enhance security, stability and sustainable growth in the region, while supporting cross-border cooperation and improving living conditions for people in the border areas of Central Asia. Since its implementation in 2003, BOMCA has played a leading role in strengthening cooperation between border control authorities through the application of the concept of integrated border management, as well as in bringing border control in line with international and EU standards.

BOMCA’s tenth phase, launched in April 2021, covers four areas: institutional development of border management agencies, improvement of detection capacities, trade facilitation, and improvement of cross-border cooperation. With a budget of EUR 21.65 million and an implementation period of 4.5 years, BOMCA 10 is the largest regional initiative in the field. It is implemented by a consortium of border management institutions of selected EU member states and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development led by the State Border Guard for the Republic of Latvia.

For additional information on BOMCA please contact Aigul Bolotova, Associated Communications Officer, at: Tel: +996 777 46 94 00, Aigul.Bolotova@icmprd.org.