For the first time, canine team instructors of the State Customs Service will undergo a specialized training course at the Guardia Civil’s Dog Training Centre (El Pardo, Madrid). Thus, on March 22, 2023 representatives of the Department for Specialized Training and Canine Services of the State Customs Service began training under the comprehensive four-month training programme and built according to the methodology of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).

Such training was made possible thanks to the coordinated work of the Spain’s Guardia Civil and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

At the official opening ceremony Oleksandr Saveliev, the official Head of OSCE’s projects, emphasized in his speech that this joint action is a contribution to enhancing security in the OSCE region, acknowledging the important role of the canine component in countering illicit firearms trafficking, as well as other forms of transnational organized crime.

The expected result of the implementation of this course will be the further implementation of the best European practices and approaches in canine teams training of the State Customs Service.