OpenLegislation

Division Description

United Kingdom

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This component will assess the capabilities of the regional authorities to perform both preventive and repressive activities necessary to successfully identify, thwart and counter trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives from and through their jurisdiction. The assistance will focus on an in-depth assessment of the needs of the border authorities and criminal police human resources and equipment necessary for the appropriate functioning and performance. A pilot project will be implemented with a view to establishing the South-East Europe Ballistic Information Network, a cost-effective operational ballistic information-exchange structure linked directly to Europol and designed to automate collection and exchange of actionable ballistic information about existing cross-border firearm-related criminality, the prevention of further crime and the improvement of the strategic picture about the nature and patterns of gun crime.

The proposed activities will complement and be closely coordinated with the ongoing Union-supported actions in South-East Europe, primarily the EU Policy Cycle for organised and serious international crime and specifically the operational action plans of EMPACT Firearms, as well as the activities of Europol, Frontex and Interpol. Finally, the activities under this component will contribute to the implementation of the 2015–2019 Action Plan.

In addition, building upon the successful approach of including the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus in the regional cooperation processes ongoing in South-East Europe, a number of SALW control needs have been already identified. In the interest of increasing the capacity for SALW control authorities in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus to combat crime in general and SALW/firearms proliferation and trafficking in particular, this component will assess critical SALW control areas in those jurisdictions, thus paving the way for targeted interventions to address the threat posed by illicit trafficking of SALW.

Main activities envisaged:

  • Needs assessment of the border-police and criminal-police services of the Western Balkans in countering illicit arms trafficking;

  • Building on the current work on the establishment of the FFPs through practical support for information-exchange capabilities, in particular with regard to ballistic evidence, as well as the procurement of specialised equipment in support of the FFPs;

  • Assessment of the capacities of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus for selected aspects of SALW, ammunition and explosives control as well as combating illicit trafficking of firearms, focusing, inter alia, on legal and policy frameworks, physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) capabilities, border control, the criminal police and the judicial response to trafficking and the misuse of firearms. The detailed assessment will identify opportunities, threats and challenges, with recommendations for possible targeted interventions to address the threat posed by illicit trafficking of SALW.

Project results/implementation indicators:

  • Needs assessment of the border-police and criminal-police services of the Western Balkans in countering illicit arms trafficking;

  • Strengthened capacity of ballistics experts and investigators for addressing cross-border firearm-related criminality;

  • Implemented pilot on operational ballistic information-exchange structure;

  • Assessment of capacities of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus for selected aspects of SALW control with identified targeted interventions.