Counterfeit documents associated with trafficking in persons and irregular immigration

The crime of false documentation is often associated with more serious crimes, such as human trafficking, irregular immigration or fraud. In the case of Georgia, there are criminal organisations involved in burglary in different EU countries that use these false documents to circumvent police controls.

Within the framework of the European project Prometheus II, a course on the detection of forged documents was organised at the international airport of Kutaisi, Georgia. The inauguration was attended by the project leader from France, Alexandra Bouthier, and the Spanish Interior Attaché in Georgia, Chief Inspector Juan Alcolea, who spoke about the problem of crimes related to document fraud.

For a week, two specialists from the Central Unit for Illegal Immigration and Documentary Fraud Networks (UCRIF) of the National Police have travelled to Georgia to exchange experiences with their Georgian counterparts, with the aim of improving practices and procedures in the field of documentary fraud of border control agencies and thus being able to combat illegal activities at the borders such as human trafficking and illegal immigration.

The course was attended by 16 officials from the Border Police Department at Kutaisi airport and was based on a theoretical part on the recognition of security measures for European Union documents. The course dealt with international regulations, printing systems, visas and Schengen stamps, residence permits and databases, among other topics.

In addition, the training included a practical part where they worked with fake and real documents and shared techniques for the operational detection of forgeries at borders, learning tricks to identify the authenticity or falsity of the documents.

During the training, emphasis was placed on a trend that is constantly growing, namely impostors, people who use a real document of another person to pass a border control. This trend is constantly growing every year in European countries, which is why it was important to focus on techniques for detecting this type of fraud involving the improper use of third parties. This type of training helps to generate synergies and international cooperation between different countries of the European Union in the fight against these crimes.