On 24-26 June in Bishkek, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) organised a workshop on the use of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)in the detection and investigation of cross-border crimes.

Representatives of key law enforcement agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic, including the MIA, SCNS, Border and Customs service, and Prosecutor General's Office, participated in the seminar. BOMCA 10 experts from the Border Guard Service and the Customs Criminal Service of the Republic of Lithuania in the format of practical exercises demonstrated to the participants modern methods of collecting and analysing information from open sources, tracking cryptocurrency transactions and solving economic crimes using OSINT tools. The seminar concluded with a review of practical cases presented by the participants themselves and discussion of further steps to integrate OSINT approaches into the daily work of law enforcement agencies.

The workshop was conducted under BOMCA 10’s Component 2, “Improvement of Detection Capacities” aimed at strengthening the investigative capacities of law enforcement agencies and promoting modern, evidence-based investigation methods.