A workshop aimed on further strengthening cross border co-operation between senior border police officers from northern Albania and the national border police officers from Macedonia’s north region ended today in Struga – OSCE Mission to Skopje announced.

The participants focused on strengths and weaknesses of present border patrolling strategies on either side of the border and ways to improve the efficiency of co-operation.   They discussed how to unite their efforts in combating organized crime, and its regional specifics.  

“It was an extremely useful exercise for us and our Albanian counterparts to share best practices how to overcome the gaps on border crossing crimes at Green and Blue Border as well as on border crossing points,” said Marinko Kocovski, Director Assistant Chief General Inspector from the Border Police.

This workshop complemented multiple regional meetings which have been held during last years with the neighboring countries border police.

“We are pleased to see improved co-operation, exchange of information and communications between the border police of two countries.  That is an important step to a more efficient fight against organized crime on the both sides of the borders,” said Philip Tolson, Head of Police Development Unit within the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

The presentations of the national experts from both countries as well as from the OSCE Mission to Skopje, the OSCE Presence in Albania and from the Border Adviser from the Conflict Prevention Center within the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna were highly appreciated by the audience.