ROCA Coordinates on Precursors and Shows Off its new CBT prototype

On 27 th July 2011, the Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) held a meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to coordinate with both international agencies (including OSCE, BOMCA and SCO) and donors inte reste d in conducting activities in the field against illicit precursor chemicals. ROCA's project RER/E29 Precursor Control in Central Asia is the longest standing international intervention dealing with precursors in the region. It started in 2000 by developing national measures to control licit production of such chemicals before focusing its attention on support for law enforcement activity, notably with the regiona l operational action called TARCET. Participants at the meeting were treated to a detailed account of the extensive work undertaken by the ROCA project and to the challenges faced both in th  e past, the present and the future.

RER/E29 has trained over 800 officers in precursor identification and interdiction, includi ng 88 trainers. The specialist search an d rummaging equipment that has been provided as standard to mobile precursor teams throughout Central Asia was also on display.

Also unveiled f or the first time was ROCA's portable CBT classroom developed under Project RER/F60 Computer Based Training in Central A sia now being bench tested. This prototype comes in two trolley suitcases a nd takes just 20 minutes to assemb le into a fully functioni ng CBT facility with 11 wor kstations. It can be deployed any place, any time and will work for approximately 4 hours without external power. The addition of a portab le generator allows the system to be used in remote areas where access to a power supply is unreliable or non-existent. So, instead of bringing officers from all over the country to one central fixed traini ng site, ROCA's portable CBT system takes the training to them .

When packed, the port able CBT classroom can fit comfortably into the boot of any vehicle  or stowed as luggage in the cargo hold.

At the meeting, participants were able to try the system out for themselves and soon became engrossed in one of the 17 courses available: Using UNODC Precursor Test Kits.