The “Trial Simulation II” training organized by CEPOL has been completed

Prishtinë, 22 November 2019 -   The European Union Agency for Training and Law Enforcement (CEPOL) has organized the "Trial Simulation II" training, attended by 36 officials from the region, mainly from Albania, Northern Macedonia and Kosovo. Participants from Kosovo who attended this training were employees of the Kosovo Police, Tax Administration of Kosovo, Financial Intelligence Unit, prosecutors and judges. 

This training is the second session, the first session which was held for law enforcement and judicial and prosecutorial staff from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. 

During this training which lasted five days participants built a case study for a criminal investigation of a serious crime and money laundering. Also during this training participants simulated a trial of a financial investigation case. 

The objectives of this training were; Identifying and increasing the knowledge on tools and financial investigation techniques, the introduction of best practices of EU investigation and trial on money laundering, improving skills in investigation, cooperation and judgement, creating lasting professional networks and strengthening multi-disciplinary cooperation between law enforcement. 

The opening ceremony of this training was attended by General Director of Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Ismail Smakiqi, Kastriot Jashari Director of Training and Educational Support Department at KAPS and Avni Istrefi Head of External Relations Division at the Academy.

During the ceremony, Director Smakiqi informed the participants about the results so far since the signing of the employment agreement between KAPS and CEPOL, a signature that was made on March 24, 2017. Smakiqi on this occasion thanked CEPOL officials for through trainings organized by them have benefited law enforcement in Kosovo.

Smakiqi has pledged that the Academy will continue to contribute further to the capacity building of Kosovo law enforcement officials through CEPOL. 

At the end of the training the certificates were distributed by Avni Istrefi and Ksenija Krizman, Senior Officer of CEPOL Project for Financial Investigation in Western Balkans. 

Krizman thanked all those who made possible the realization of this training, trainers, monitors, technicians, translators, in particular two National CEPOL Unit officers for Kosovo, Avni Istrefi the as the National Point of CEPOL Contact for Kosovo, Skender Agaj as the Electronic Network Manager of CEPOL  for Kosovo. 

This training was organized as part of the Capacity Building Project, Workplace Training of Financial Investigations in the Western Balkans 2017 - 2019. 

The project aims to develop and consolidate the institutional capacity of the beneficiary countries' law enforcement agencies (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Serbia) in order to prevent, investigate and prosecute transnational organized crime and terrorist financing. 

The project is funded by the European Union under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and is an integral part of the second pillar Integrated Governance of Homeland Security (IISG) of the Western Balkans Initiative to Combat Serious Crimes (WBCSCi).