Cooperation between Belarusian, German police 'totally legal'
BelTA has been told that cooperation with units of the German police in 2009-2010 was performed while observing national laws of the two countries, international law standards, regulations specified by bilateral and multilateral treaties, to which the Republic of Belarus and the Federal Republic of Germany are parties.
Representatives of the Belarusian Interior Ministry told BelTA that cooperation involved fight against illegal automobile business, fight against illegal migration, operative analysis, protection of public order at football and hockey matches, examination of peculiarities in the operation of regional units, organization of the operation of temporary detention facilities.
2009-2010 saw about 50 joint events take place, including visits, educational and fact-finding seminars, in Germany and Belarus. Participating in the events were criminal police personnel, traffic police officers, the national office of the Interpol, the Belarusian Interior Ministry Academy, public security police, units in charge of fighting corruption and economic crimes, drugs, and high-tech crimes, and other units. All the events were widely covered by mass media and on the Internet, underlined the Interior Ministry.
The source made it clear that "No practical trainings to 'round up protestors' and 'deal with mass riots' were held".
The Belarusian Interior Ministry explained that widespread claims that Belarusian enforcers had been outfitted by the German side with special tools, in particular, helmets, shields, and batons, are not true. "The German police provided assistance by equipping some police units with computers and office equipment," said the source. In particular, classrooms were equipped in the international center for training, retraining and career enhancement of migration and slave trade counteraction officers at the Belarusian Interior Ministry Academy, Minsk.
BelTA has been told that the last event held within the framework of the said cooperation took place on 22-26 November 2010. Back then two experts of the Interior Ministry forensic service opted for on-the-job training involving chemical study of explosives using spectral and chromatographic methods in criminal police units of Germany.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry added that Belarusian and German law enforcers worked together in 2011 to expose international crime groups. "The exposure of the band that operated in Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Belarus is a vivid example. Members of the bank committed 34 armed assaults to rob banks, with over €800,000 stolen," said the source.