The three-day course in Nicosia used real cases to show how police can follow online clues and trace payments across borders.
When police in Cyprus investigate a migrant smuggling case, the people who organized the journey or collected the money may be in another country. That was the challenge at the heart of a three-day training course in Nicosia this week, where participants from 12 EU countries looked at how to find the people behind those journeys.
Using real cases and hands-on exercises, participants examined how smugglers use online tools and digital currencies, such as cryptocurrency. They also shared ways to identify suspects and follow evidence when it leads beyond their own borders, Cyprus Police said.
The Cyprus Police Academy and Greece’s Centre for Security Studies organized the course, which ran Nov. 10–12, through the EU’s police training agency. Experts from Europol, the EU border agency Frontex and the European Commission took part, along with German police and trainers from Cyprus and Greece.
Cyprus Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis told participants that sharing information and experience helps police forces work together on cases that span several countries.
