Baltic Sea Taskforce on Organised Crime (BSTF): Final Coordination and Operational Planing Meeting under Latvian Chairmanship

On 18-19 September 2018, representatives from Police, Customs and Border guards from all the CBSS Member States gathered in Jūrmala, Latvia for their last Operational Planning and Coordination Meeting,  before the handover to the German Chairmanship with operational support from Poland.

The participants discussed irregular migration, lessons learned from the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, illicit drug trafficking, the possibility to establish a new expert group on customs cooperation, organised mobile crime groups and crimes against property. Strategic intelligence analysis and regional intelligence-led policing for the BSR were also part of the agenda.

Mr. Janusz Gąciarz and Ms. Nina Jernberg presented the latest updates from the CBSS Secretariat in the field of civil security cooperation. Two initiatives were particularly emphasised: the Baltic Sea Region Research Network for Societal Security and the STAC-CBRNE project – both coordinated by the CBSS Secretariat. The participants were also informed about the upcoming Baltic Leadership Programme Alumni Outreach Event, taking place in Riga on 26 – 27 November 2018.

The Goldfinger initiative, led by the Swedish Police, where the CBSS Secretariat is a partner, was also introduced. Goldfinger will help in developing joint operational capacities for law enforcement agencies in the Baltic Sea Region, by establishing a network of specialists who are proficient in external funding issues.