On 16 to 18 of April edition of Truck Search training took place on Hungarian – Ukrainian border crossing point in Zahony.
Our Training team, together with Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Greek and Finnish trainers created a training that was delving into the truck search area. The aim of the event was to expand on not only the theoretical but mainly practical knowledge on truck effective inspections.
Officers, interested in fostering the control skills and efficiency of search actions, came from CELBET Member States and other countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey.
On the first day, trainers showed the infrastructure of Zahony border crossing point and introduced the main parts of the truck’s construction.
The second day of training was the practical one and organized in a real customs environment: border crossing point.
Trainers created 4 thematic groups of trainees:
1. X-ray
2. Document control
3. Live traffic control
4. Garage revision
Thanks to this system, participants had a chance to practice or upgrade their inspection skills in various areas of customs control.
That’s the way our trainings are organized: theory + practical part on border point = real knowledge practiced in a real environment.
Inspections of the real border traffic were organized on the last day of training. It was great occasion to test the knowledge gained during previous days, especially that trainees could check their skills on the EU external border. Nowadays, efficiency of truck inspections, seem to be extremely crucial in the context of sanctions goods’ control.
CELBET training system is absolutely unique. Trainers from different countries, working together, are the best proof of international practical and tactical cooperation. Highly skilled in a different areas officers, successfully created training sessions, although they come from various customs environment.
Swedish customs officer Kennie Svensson’s thoughts on the course:
“The CELBET truck search training was very useful for me as an customs officer. It’s always nice to learn more about the constructions and the useful hiding places where the smugglers puts their contraband before they cross the border”. After this CELBET truck search training, I get at “wider sight” of how the smugglers rebuilds and use the truck and trailer constructions in EU ́s different Border crossing points to bring their contraband in to the countries. And with these skills it let me to search in trucks and trailers whit bigger knowledge and experience in my work as a customs officer in the future”.
Kennie works as a teacher at the Swedish Customs School, teaching topics such as heavy traffic control and bus search.
Training was organized by CELBET Training Team, National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary and financed by CLEP.
Course coordinator Immo Kilpinen’s thoughts on the implementation of the training:
“This was CELBET’s second truck search training. The first training took place in Romania in autumn 2023. The aim was to develop training based on lessons learned and feedback from Romania, and I think we achieved it. In this training we were provided with resources in Hungary that were important for training, which made it possible to carry out practical training more effectively and to include inspection methods such as X-ray as part of the training. As a course coordinator, one of my most important tasks is to create a framework for the training and develop the training to serve the goal of the course. As this is international training, arrangements and facilitation of the training with the administration of the host country also play a major role.
The trainers of the Customs control of the trucks at the BCP are from Greece, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Finland. Long distances create a challenge for the operations of the multinational working group, the meetings took place mainly remotely. For this reason, it is important to create a good and open atmosphere, as well as clear goals and operating culture for the group.
The cornerstones of the training are interaction between the participants and the sharing of knowledge and experiences. For example, in Poland, a tried and tested inspection method can be applied in other countries, and communicating a smuggling method detected in Greece allows for more effective anticipation and profiling.”
