Border police training

The Mission addressed the short- and medium-term needs of the Georgian border police through specialized skills and management training programmes for junior officers and senior management.

Transitional Institutional Support Programme

In May 2008, the Mission launched the implementation of the 11-month Transitional Institutional Support Programme to help improve border management in the South Caucasus. The programme, funded in part by Finland, Austria and the Czech Republic, involved members of the Georgian border and patrol police and the Finance Ministry's revenue service, as well as their counterparts in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The programme addressed the fight against terrorism and trans-border organized crime, crisis and risk management, criminal procedure code, threat assessment and senior management skills. It included 10 cross-border workshops at five major entry points to Georgia from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and concluded with a course on counter-terrorism.

Earlier Mission-organized programmes included the following:

Training Assistance Programme

In June 2006, the Mission successfully completed its year-long Training Assistance Programme for 794 mid-ranking and non-commissioned officers, some of whom were identified as potential future instructors. The programme aimed to transfer the skills it had gained from five years of border monitoring experience. These included:

• rescue operations and security rules in hazardous mountainous areas;
• planning and managing border units during the day and night;
• patrolling, observing and reporting;
• maintaining special equipment;
• map reading;
• communications;
• first aid.

A team of 50 personnel, including 30 international experts, implemented the programme from the OSCE Mission's headquarters in Tbilisi, as well as from four other regional training centres in Lilo, Kazbegi, Lagodekhi and Omalo.

Capacity-building training for high-ranking Georgian Border Police

In September 2006, a new OSCE training programme was launched to help make Georgia's senior border management more effective in operational planning and rapid reaction. The Mission and the Georgian border police worked closely to develop a comprehensive curriculum that would help the service enhance its command, control and communications system and create its own training programme.

The Mission trained over 300 senior border police officers in decision-making methodology and skills for rapid reaction to border incidents. The programme was delivered at two training centres, one in Lilo near Tbilisi and one in the northern mountain village of Omalo. A number of border police regional field headquarters were also used, such as Batumi, Lagodekhi, Kazbegi and Red Bridge.

The programme, delivered by 50 personnel, was divided into three components: operational planning training, training of trainers and rapid reaction training.