Fifteen police investigators specializing in investigating human trafficking and related crimes completed a training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 26 to 29 June 2017 to enhance their operational skills in online investigations into human trafficking.

During the seminar, which was held in Chisinau, participants studied open source intelligence techniques designed to enable them to perform advanced online searches and to extract information from the internet in accordance with Moldovan law. The training focused on conducting investigations on social media and internet search engines, and how to use the information posted online to proactively investigate human trafficking cases.

“This event was highly practical and provided us with innovative techniques that will help us to obtain relevant intelligence in the shortest possible time,” said Adrian Matcovschi, Senior Investigation Officer at Moldova’s Centre for Combatting Trafficking in Persons. “As traffickers increasingly exploit online platforms to facilitate their crimes, it is vital that the police have the skills to carry out investigations online.”

The event was organized as part of the Mission’s year-long project aimed at enhancing the capacity of Moldova’s law enforcement agencies to effectively investigate and combat human trafficking crimes.