POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS CENTRAL ASIA Activities Related to Threats Posed by Criminal Activity Organized Crime The Office, the  State Revenues Committee of the Finance Ministry and the US Embassy in  Kazakhstan co-organized several training seminars on countering transnational organized crime  and trafficking in drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. The goal was to share best practices in countering transnational organized crime, to identify and  to close international channels of illicit drugs and their precursors as well as using controlled deliveries and identification techniques of drug traffickers. % From 30 March-3 April, the first training seminar was conducted in Almaty by Georgian, Lithuanian, and US experts who shared their best practices with approx. 30 customs officers from Almaty and the Almaty Region, partly in the form of interactive simulation exercises. % From 1-5 June, the second training seminar was held by Georgian, Turkish,  and US experts who shared their best practices with approx. 20 law enforcement officers  representing the State Revenues Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Border Service of the National Security Committee alongside customs officials from Azerbaijan,  Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan. The training seminar was held in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Eastern Kazakhstan. Interactive exercises simulated real-life  situations that customs officers might encounter in their everyday work. % From 27-29 July, experts from Georgia, the US, and CARICC held the third training seminar in Aktau, Western Kazakhstan for approx. 30 law enforcement officers from Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Topics of discussion included the identification of concealment methods used for drug trafficking and synthetic drugs. % From 5-7 October, another seminar was held in Shymkent by experts from the US and CARICC for approx. 20 law enforcement officers representing the State  Revenue Committee, General Prosecutor’s Office, the Interior Ministry, the Canine Centre of  the State Revenue Committee, and the Border Service of the National Security Committee. Cross-Border Co-operation in Criminal Matters From 15-16 September, the Head of Office attended the OSCE  Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, involving all Heads of OSCE Central Asian field operations. The meeting focused on the OSCE’s role in  fostering regional security, fighting terrorism, and combating THB. The Head of Office presented an overview of the Office’s activities aimed to strengthen co-operation in Central Asia in order to address challenges and threats to regional security. Illicit Drugs and Chemical Precursors From 10-28 August, the Office, the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, and the Canine Centre of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance co-organized a three-week advanced training course in Almaty on the effective use of detection dogs to detect explosive materials and narcotics. Five canine specialists representing the State Revenue Committee, National Security Committee, State Protection Service, Border Guard Service, and the MoIA were acquainted with some of the most advanced techniques of training dogs and dog-handlers by the Head of the Canine Centre at Austria’s MoIA. From 2-3 December, the Office attended a working meeting in Almaty on the Northern Route of Afghan opiate trafficking. The event was organized by UNODC’s Regional Office for Central  Asia, in co-operation with CARICC and with  financial support from the EU-financed project “Heroin Route II: Information Networks  along the Heroin Route”. Approximately 60 officials from all five Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Germany, France, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, UK  and the US as well as international organizations discussed possibilities to enhance regional co-operation and reviewed the latest trends, achievements, and challenges in countering drug  trafficking from Afghanistan along the Northern Route. Cybercrime From 11-12 June, the Office, TNTD/SPMU, and the MoIA co-organized with UNODC a two-day regional workshop on cybercrime in Almaty for 50 Afghan, Kazakh and Uzbek law  enforcement officers specialized in cybercrime investigations. Experts from Belarus, the Russian  Federation, Turkey, the US, and UNODC shared their experience and best practices in fighting cybercrime, including the use of specially trained investigative and forensic units. Participants discussed ways to enhance co-ordination  among law enforcement agencies in the region and with other governmental structures, the private sector, academia, and NGOs. The office organized three five-day training seminars in Almaty on countering cybercrime for officials from the MoIA, the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the 107