17-20 September 2024, Vienna: In a significant effort to enhance the capacity of law enforcement officials in dealing with cross-border electronic evidence, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organised a four-day "Train-the-Trainer Course for Pakistan on Requesting Electronic Evidence Across Borders." Held in Vienna, from September 17-20, 2024, this course aimed to equip key stakeholders from Pakistan with advanced skills to streamline the process of obtaining electronic evidence in counterterrorism and serious crime investigations.
The training, attended by ten senior law enforcement officers and legal professionals from all across Pakistan including from KP and Balochistan, was organised by UNODC’s Country Office Pakistan and Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) with financial support from the Embassy of Denmark. The sessions provided participants with the latest knowledge and hands-on skills in requesting, preserving, and obtaining electronic evidence from foreign jurisdictions and service providers.
The workshop kicked off with opening remarks from Ms. Kate Fitzpatrick, Chief of UNODC's Implementation Support Section, and Mr. Muhammad Ali Rajput, Programme Officer from UNODC's Country Office in Pakistan. Participants then delved into the Global Initiative on Handling Electronic Evidence Across Borders, followed by expert-led discussions on adult learning techniques and practical training methodologies tailored to equip trainers with the ability to conduct future sessions independently.

The key focus of the course was preserving electronic evidence and understanding international legal frameworks for cross-border data requests. It featured sessions on pre-mutual legal assistance, emergency disclosures, and working with service providers like Meta and TikTok, who provided insights into law enforcement guidelines and procedures for obtaining data. A legal expert from the U.S. Department of Justice was also engaged, who presented the requirement of sending mutual legal assistance requests to the United States. The final day of the course was dedicated to group exercises, with participants preparing presentations on key topics and receiving feedback from UNODC experts.
The training is a critical activity of the key project Strengthening Pakistan’s Response to effectively prevent the spread of violent Extremism virtually and amongst youth in vulnerable communities (SPRE), supported by the Embassy of Denmark. After this Training of Trainers (ToT), these master trainers will be responsible for training at least two peers within their respective organisations over the next year, ensuring sustainable skills transfer.
The event concluded with remarks from Mr. Roberto Arbitrio, Chief of Service, Drug Control and Crime Prevention, UNODC marking a successful milestone in building the investigative capacities of Pakistani law enforcement to effectively request and manage electronic evidence in international terrorism and criminal cases.

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