3017/2026/WEB 'Counterfeit firearms in Europe: operational insights on trends, trafficking, and criminal use'

The aim of this webinar is to provide law enforcement officials with a clear overview of current trends, threats, trafficking routes and the criminal use of counterfeit firearms in Europe, strengthening situational awareness and supporting more effective operational responses.

By the end of this webinar, the audience will be able to: 

• Identify the main types of counterfeit firearms found in Europe;
• Describe current trends, trafficking routes and land-movement patterns relating to the circulation of counterfeit firearms across Europe, as well as seizure findings;
• Explain how criminal groups acquire and use counterfeit firearms, including their role in violent crime and murders, and the implications for tactical policing;
• Summarise how tactical observations from operations and forensic analyses complement each other in detecting, tracing, and investigating counterfeit firearms.

EMPACT training activity

Combatting new forms of organised crime requires more cooperation between police and gendarmes, customs officers, border guards, judges, and prosecutors. EU institutions, agencies and Member States work together to tackle organised and serious international crime through a permanent and key instrument: the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).

CEPOL plays a crucial role in the EMPACT mechanism through the provision of specialised training and the identification of training needs within each common security threat. Every year, CEPOL provides a comprehensive training package for each common EU crime priority consisting of onsite, online and exchange training activities.

Check more of CEPOL's EMPACT training activities here.