Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Criminal Courses

At the International Training Centre, the Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Criminal Courses of the years 1996, 1997, 2009, 2016 and 2017 took place between 5th-9th September 2022; a total of 45 participants had the opportunity to meet again in Budapest.

The event was officially opened by Brigadier General Dr. István Farkas, the Hungarian CEPA Board of Trustees member, Director of the International Training Centre.

The seminar took place in an excellent and friendly atmosphere, with several classes having the opportunity to meet, get to know each other and establish new contacts.

The seminar achieved its aim of exchanging the latest information on international criminal cooperation, as well as building and fostering contacts between seminar participants. The lecturers were mostly participants of the seminar, former Criminal Course graduates from different years.

At a professional excursion, the group visited the Hegyeshalom-Nickelsdorf Common Contact Point at the Hungarian-Austrian Border where we gained insights into cooperation, especially in the fight against illegal migration.

The group also visited the National University of Public Services Faculty of Law Enforcement Department of Forensic Sciences, where Colonel Gergely Gárdonyi PhD, the Head of Department gave a lecture and a practical demonstration on “Crime scene investigation in practice” and Lt. Colonel András Vigh gave a lecture about the expert system in Hungary. After this a week with lectures, professional excursions and cultural programmes – sightseeing in Győr and sport at Normafa – it was again shown how the CEPA-family is expanding and how we preserve these invaluable CEPA-contacts.

Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Integrated Border Security Special Courses

 

At the International Training Centre, the Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Integrated Border Security Special Courses of the years 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2015 and 2016 took place between 11th-15th July 2022; a total of 20 participants had the opportunity to meet again in Budapest.

The event was officially opened by Brigadier General Dr. István Farkas, the Hungarian CEPA Board of Trustees member, Director of the International training Centre.

The aims of the seminar were to exchange the latest information on fight against illegal migration and international border security cooperation as well as to establish and maintain contacts among the seminar participants.

During the Alumni meeting, there was a first-rate seminar atmosphere. The lecturers were mostly participants of the seminar, former Integrated Border Security Special Course graduates from different years.

Brigadier General Dr. Sándor Fórizs, the former Rector of the Hungarian Police Academy, – who was a participant of one of the earliest Course – delivered a lecture on the history and the development of the police- and border guard educational system in Hungary.

One of the guest presentor was Mr. Thomas Herko, Ministerial Counsellor, Austrian liaison officer, who gave an interesting lecture about the structures and tasks of the liaison officer system of the Republic of Austria.

Within the framework of a professional excursion, the group visited the National Bureau of Investigation, International Crime Department in Székesfehérvár, where Máté Zámbó Pol. Captain gave a comprehensive presentation on Hungary’s fight against illegal migration using the VÉDA Vehicular Intelligent Camera Network.

This week with the lectures, the professional excursions to the National Bureau of Investigation and to the Hungarian Banknote Printing Company, cultural programmes such as the Parliament and the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany – has once again shown us how we live as members of the CEPA-family.

Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Organized Crime Courses of the years 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005, 2014 and 2015

 

At the International Training Centre, the Alumni meeting for the participants of the Central European Police Academy (CEPA) Organised Crime Courses of the years 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005, 2014 and 2015 took place between 27th September – 1th October 2021; a total of 20 participants had the opportunity to meet again in Budapest.

The event was officially opened by the Hungarian CEPA Board of Trustees member, Brigadier General Dr. István FARKAS, Director of the International Training Centre.

The aims of the seminar were to exchange the latest information on investigative methods and international criminal police cooperation as well as to establish and maintain contacts among the seminar participants.

During the Alumni meeting, there was an excellent seminar atmosphere. The lecturers were mostly participants of the seminar, former Organized Crime Course graduates from different years: the former liaison officer of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA); the colleague who is currently working at Europol; the committed colleague from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Saxony; the colleague from the Nuremberg Criminal Police; the colleague from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Lower Austria and the colleagues from the Counter-Terrorism Centre  – all of them emphasized the challenges of fighting crime and the necessity of international criminal police cooperation.

Life has changed in recent years because of various measures, we have learned and experienced the term “social distance”. Nevertheless, we humans are fundamentally social beings, so personal contacts should be cultivated, as a psychologist said: “We need contact, we need relationships, and the feeling of belonging to a community.” We are members of the CEPA-family and this week has once again shown us how we live as members of the CEPA-family.

The participants evaluated the seminar as perfectly organized. The participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to spend this week together, they believe that this Alumni meeting was necessary, because the network of the CEPA Organized Crime Course graduates is a particularly efficient form of international criminal police cooperation.