On 5 October 2023, Ukrainian border guards participated in a webinar with a specific focus on the technical means applied by Lithuanian law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for managing their forces and preventing corruption. This online event was organized and facilitated by the EU-funded project “EU Support to Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine – Resilience (EU4IBM-Resilience)” implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.
The webinar provided a platform for the representatives of Lithuanian LEAs, such as the police and border protection services, to share their practical experience and lessons learnt during the introduction and use of technical solutions in corruption prevention efforts and management of forces as well as it’s gradual evolution and advancement prospects. Among the participants on the Ukrainian side were almost 70 officers of the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) who professionally work on identification and countering corruption. This event continues the Project’s efforts aimed at improving the corruption prevention system within SBGS, in particular by shaping and piloting technical solutions to be deployed at border crossing points.
“In the pursuit of operational excellence and transparency of SBGS, we extend opportunities to our partners to embrace best European practices in the corruption prevention efforts. The knowledge shared during today’s event is expected to have long-term implications for further anti-corruption activities within the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine”, highlights Arunas Adomenas, EU4IBM-Resilience Team Leader.
During the webinar, Lithuanian experts presented the specifics of the operation of different types of cameras (body, vehicle, premises) that are used by the Lithuanian police and border guards. Furthermore, they discussed the evolution of various technical solutions. For example, the experts demonstrated the contrast in nighttime footage quality between two generations of vehicle cameras.
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- Footage from an outdated vehicle camera
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- Footage from an advanced vehicle camera
The main objective of the online event was, however, to foster an interactive exchange of ideas, advice, and expertise. The representatives of SBGS actively engaged by asking questions, sharing their ideas and thoughts, in particular on how to integrate the discussed longstanding and new technologies with other IT solutions to ensure their secure and efficient operation.
In the course of the webinar, Lithuanian experts showcased the real-time application of devices such as body cameras, highlighting their crucial role in both shielding officers from unfounded, including corruption-related, allegations, and serving a proactive measure to deter misconduct by the law enforcers.
The experts of the Project collected the feedback from the participants to further use it for developing the upcoming activities of the “EU4IBM-Resilience” project aimed at enhancing corruption prevention within the SBGS. This will ensure that the support to be provided aligns with the specific needs of the Agency.
