Central Asian law enforcement officers enhance regional co-operation and investigative capacities to combat organized crime at joint training in Ankara

From 19 to 23 October 2026, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the Turkish International Academy against Smuggling and Organized Crime (TADOC), conducted a regional training programme on combating transnational organized crime for representatives of Central Asian law enforcement authorities in Ankara, Türkiye. 

The programme combined expert-led sessions with practical exercises on criminal structures and modi operandi, criminal intelligence and open-source intelligence, special investigative techniques, interviewing suspects and witnesses, tracing proceeds of crime and the use of undercover agents.

The training brought together 15 mid- and senior-level law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, with three participants from each country. Participants, representing criminal investigation and criminal police units, border, security and customs services, exchanged operational experience and enhanced their investigative capacities. 

In his opening remarks, Murat Bingöl, Deputy Head of the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department of the Turkish National Police, stressed the importance of international co-operation: “Today, transnational organized crime has become so complex that no country can combat it alone. Countering this threat requires us to closely follow current methods and share the experience we have gained with one another.”

Representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan highlighted the increasingly complex and transnational nature of organized crime, noting how criminal groups exploit modern technologies, financial instruments and cross-border connections. They shared that responding effectively to these evolving threats requires law enforcement officers to continuously develop their professional knowledge and investigative skills.

Through practical exercises led by TADOC experts, participants applied the techniques covered during the sessions and strengthened their analytical, investigative and operational decision-making skills.

The regional format also helped enhance professional contacts among Central Asian law enforcement institutions and encouraged closer co-operation on investigations involving organized criminal groups operating across borders.

Representatives of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan emphasized that effective action against organized crime also depends on sustained co-operation, information-sharing and mutual trust between law enforcement agencies. They highlighted the value of the professional contacts established through regional training courses, which can facilitate future exchanges and closer operational co-operation across borders.

This activity forms part of the OSCE’s SENTINEL Project, funded by Austria, France, and Germany, which supports Central Asian participating States in countering transnational organized crime through targeted capacity-building, regional co-operation and the sharing of good practices.