DUSHANBE, August 24, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Today, the Fifth Regional Training program commenced for border and customs dog handlers from the five Central Asian states in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to the Delegation o the European Commission in Tajikistan.

Twenty participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are attending the three-month long training session organized by the EU-UNDP Border Management Program in Central Asia (BOMCA).

The Dog Handlers course provides training in modern practical techniques for searching for drugs and explosives. Additionally, there will be an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation amongst the representatives of border management services of the five Central Asian countries.  Upon successful completion of the course, the participants will be awarded certificates and receive newly trained dogs to take back with them to continue their important work at border crossings in their respective countries.

Trainers from the Uzbek National Dog Training Centre are teaching theoretical basics and practical skills, and experts of the Canine School of the Austrian Police Academy and the French Police Dog Training Centre are acquainting trainees with the best EU practice in dog training.

The training course is organized within the framework of BOMCA, which is financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The BOMCA Assistance Program aims to demonstrate to Central Asian Governments the benefits of the EU Integrated Border Management (IBM) approach through model projects at major Border Crossing Points in Central Asian, to help foster institutional reform in border management, to strengthen the training capacities in Central Asia and to help improve the infrastructure along trade and transit corridors in Central Asia.