​On 14 March 2016 the 24th CEPA Main Course with the focus on “Prevention and Combatting of internationally relevant Forms of Crime” took its start in the premises of the Academy of the Police of Baden-Württemberg in Villigen-Schwenningen.

Dr. Ralph Gutedel, German Member of the Board of Trustees of the CEPA and official of the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany stressed in his inaugural address the importance of the international co-operation in the field of combatting organized crime. He highlighted the importance of the CEPA in the field of advanced training and its uniqueness within the European training landscape.

The representative of the Central Coordination Office of the CEPA, Austria, Colonel Andreas Wolf welcomed the participants warmly and thanked the organizers of the German Federal Criminal Police Office and the Police Academy of Baden-Württemberg. He also mentioned the importance of this further training, which stands out in this form and in its themes in Europe. Colonel Wolf wished the course participants successful seven weeks of training.

The 26 participants originating from the 7 CEPA Member States will be introduced in the sequence of seven weeks in the work cultures and processes in the field of policing of the respective countries in the locations Villingen-Schwenningen, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Ljubljana Biel and Budapest.

Moreover, the participants will be presented with information concerning the most recent strategies for combatting international and organized crime. Legal and international regulations will round off the theoretical part of the programme. They also will be made familiar with operative procedures and tactical measures by the means of excursions and practical exercises.        

During the course, the participants will attend several workshops dealing with the topic “Gemeinsame Ermittlungsgruppen” resp. “Joint Investigation Teams” (JIT). The workshops will be conducted and supervised by Ms Kaja Lehr, Germany. They will elaborate final papers on their findings regarding three different issues. These findings will be presented to a group of experts on 29 April 2016 at the end of the course in Budapest. The written compositions can be found on the CEPA Website accordingly.