POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS CENTRAL ASIA Activities Related to Threats Posed by Criminal Activity Organized Crime On 3 February, the CiB donated a minibus, Volkswagen T5, as additional support to the MoI’s efforts to effectively combat organized crime. It will be used for conducting  operations and crime scene investigations by police inspectors from the  Department for Combating Organized Crime, jointly with the Criminal Investigations Department  and Special Units of the Ministry. From 28 April-1 May, the CiB supported a study tour for a Kyrgyz delegation to the MoI’s Criminal Police Bureau of Lithuania. The delegation was headed by the deputy Minister of Interior and included key police staff and representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office and Supreme Court of Justice. The delegation studied the Lithuanian multi-agency approach to combating organized crime  and discussed a strategic document that will lay the foundation for future cooperation between both Ministries. From 27 July-1 August, the Centre facilitated a one-week internship programme at the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau for five officers of the Department on Combating Organized Crime. The programme covered theoretical and practical sessions, including operative information  analysis and Serious Organized Crime Threats Assessment (SOCTA) techniques, proactive investigation techniques and agent handling, and co-ordination of law enforcement agencies and joint investigations. The CiB facilitated and hosted eight Technical Co-ordination Meetings (TCMs), which serve as a platform for enforcing co-operation with all law enforcement agencies, state institutions and international organizations involved in counteraction of organized crime. At these meetings, discussions on the problems of combating  organized crime as well as on implementing the related legislative framework and sharing of international best practices and methodology on conducting organized crime threats assessments were also exercised. Some of these meetings were focused on improving the quality of pre-trial investigation and prosecution. t
On 27 March, an expert provided a  comprehensive introduction and training on polygraph usage in investigative activities for participants from Kyrgyz law  enforcement agencies at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. t
On 22 May, more than 25 participants from Kyrgyz criminal justice agencies responsible for  combating organized crime attended the meeting. t
On 25 September, the meeting was dedicated specifically to  combating extremism and terrorism, and organized in co-operation with the MoI. It aimed at enhancing the co-operation,  capacity and policies of law enforcement agencies in fighting organized crime at  the grassroots level.  t
On 27 November, the final technical co-ordination meeting took place where more than 25 participants from law enforcement agencies conducted SWOT analysis exercise. The outcomes of this analysis allowed the CiBorganized crime project team to determine previously unnoticed strengths, to learn about the hidden threats, and to make clear the expected opportunities for further planning of 2016 programmatic activities. Criminal Investigations and Analysis On 25 May, the CiB hosted a visit of two police experts from the Lithuanian Criminal  Police Bureau to Kyrgyzstan who advised the MoI’s specialized departments on creating data bases to allow for storage and analysis of intelligence on organized crime. In addition, the experts contributed to the elaboration of the draft National Action Plan for Combating Organized Crime for 2015-2020. From 3-13 November, the CiB supported the visit of three police experts from the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau to Kyrgyzstan to advise the MoI’s Organized Crime Directorate on ways to improve the existing IT infrastructure, and on how to update and introduce new technical solutions in the field of combating organized crime. The  experts also conducted training seminars for officers from law enforcement agencies on criminal investigation of organized crime-related cases. Cross-Border Co-operation in Criminal Matters From 15-18 September, the Head of Centre participated in the OSCE Parliamentary  Assembly Autumn Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia where he delivered a speech at the Parliamentary Conference on “Addressing Security Challenges  for the OSCE Region and Beyond: The Role of Parliamentarians in Fostering Regional Cooperation” on regional security, countering terrorism and trafficking in human beings as well as on the role of the OSCE in regional co-operation. Counter-Terrorism & VERLT From 10-13 February, the CiB, in co-operation with TNTD/ SPMU, facilitated the participation of a police officer  from 113