E005/2025/EXB Combatting organised crime, financial crime and corruption

The aim of this training is to offer a cross‑country overview of key law‑enforcement institutions, covering the mandate and functions of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS/DANS), the structure of Montenegro’s police and their strategies against organised crime, and the historical and organisational development of the Polish police with a focus on Lublin’s role in combatting organised crime. It also outlines the importance of special police units, international cooperation in tackling cross‑border threats, and highlights the work of Lithuania’s State Investigation Service (STT/SIS) in addressing corruption and related criminal activity.

By the end of this Exchange-bite, the audience will be able to:

• Describe the mandates, structures, and responsibilities of key law enforcement institutions in Bulgaria, Montenegro, Poland, and Lithuania;
• Identify major threat areas addressed by these institutions, including organised crime, financial crime risks, and corruption related vulnerabilities;
• Explain how specialised police and security units operate, including their investigative, operational intelligence, and crime prevention functions;
• Recognise the main forms of organised crime affecting the participating countries and understand the strategies used to counter them;
• Understand the importance of national and international cooperation, including information exchange mechanisms and lessons learned from the CEPOL Exchange Programme;

Understand the role of anti-corruption bodies such as the Lithuanian STT/SIS and the Bulgarian DANS/SANS and how they investigate and prevent corruption-related offences.

 

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.