OSCE trains Tajik border and customs officers on use of radiation equipment

DUSHANBE, 19 September 2014 – Twenty four mid-rank and front-line officers from the Tajik border troops and national customs service completed today a week-long training course on use of radiation detectors and other equipment at the border check points by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The officers studied the threats and characteristics of illegal trafficking of nuclear and other radio-active materials, legal base for physics and nuclear security, usage and operation of devices for radiation detection and measurement and effective detection techniques. The training was led by the Tajik national customs service expert with an experience in radiation detection.

“The Office in Tajikistan continues to support capacity building of Tajik border and security agencies, including in the areas of illegal trafficking of radioactive materials, procedures for exchange information, co-ordination and co-operation in this area”, said Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan Ambassador Markus Mueller.

The training was organized within the activities of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan’s Border Management Unit as well as a part of the successful implementation of the Tajik National Border Management Strategy.

Flemming Hansen Splidsboel, Head of the OSCE Office’s Politico-Military Department, said: “This training helped the Tajik customs and border agencies to strengthen their professional capacity in their day-to-day work in identifying and detection of radioactive materials.”

The OSCE office plans to provide a limited number of radiation detectors and dosimeters to the Tajik national customs service. The equipment will help in identification and detection of illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials at the border.