Clandestine Laboratory Training Center of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia and UNODC ROSEE evaluate joint-collaboration and delivery under the UNODC Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe 2024-2029

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12 December 2024, mountain Goč, Serbia – Mr. Danilo Rizzi, UNODC Regional Representative for South-Eastern Europe, assisted by Mr. Alexander Semenyuk, Head of UNODC Office in Serbia, Mr. Sinisa Durkulic, UNODC National Programme Officer, and Mr. Ivan Brandić, Assistant Director, Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia, visited the Police Training Center “Mitrovo Polje” at the mountain Goč in Central Serbia. 

Delegation of the Ministry of the Interior, Police Trainers and UNODC Team in Goč

 

The high specialized Training Center serves as a top educational facility for law enforcement and other practitioners, with the objective of improving individual and team capacity and knowledge on the identification, detection, screening, deactivation, and dismantling of different illegal laboratories for the production of dangerous substances, explosives and new psychoactive substances, including synthetic drugs, fentanyl and related dangerous precursors.

The Goč Training Center has a wide range of training rooms equipped with fully functional devices and installations that have been seized by the police in real operations and reinstalled in the centre in order to train their specialized officers in real-life scenarios. 

Real Life Police Training in Goč

 

The training centre and the curricula offered by the Ministry of Interior of Serbia are unique in the region and could be easily tailored for regional purposes to advance regional collaboration and a better understanding of how to address the threats of existing and new synthetic drugs including fentanyl. 

Fentanyl Laboratory (Goč Ministry of the Interior)

 

In realistic scenarios, the trainees can learn how to behave and safely act in entering a clandestine laboratory, how to properly use the protective equipment, recognize equipment and chemicals used in the production of narcotics, how to deactivate the production process, dismantle the laboratories, decontaminate persons and equipment, conduct investigations and collect material evidence. The training includes the use of drones and other technical equipment and test kits. 

Training Equipment (Goč Ministry of the Interior)

 

Marijuana Indoor plantation (Goč Ministry of the Interior)

 

Clandestine Explosive Laboratory (Goč Ministry of the Interior)

 

The training curricula are coordinated by the Police, Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia and delivered by the staff of the National Team for Illegal Laboratories for Serbian Law Enforcement Officers. 

 

Theory Classroom (Goč Ministry of the Interior)

 

The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia expressed appreciation for UNODC interest in the center and offered their experience and trainers for regional training and sharing of experience exercises under the framework of the UNODC Regional Programme for South-Eastern Europe.

UNODC and the Ministry of the Interior agreed to advance such excellent level of collaboration and to discuss the organization of a regional study visit to the Goč center aiming at exposing practitioners on how Serbian police is safely acting in identifying and entering a clandestine laboratory, how to properly use the protective equipment, recognize equipment and chemicals used in the production of narcotics, how to deactivate the production process, dismantle the laboratories, decontaminate persons and equipment, conduct investigations and collect evidence.

As the regional need is to address fentanyl and synthetic drugs laboratory, the Ministry of Interior will offer a visit to law enforcement agencies in the region focussing on these drugs. The regional activity is planned to be implemented during the first quarter of 2025.