Lyon, France
5 - 14 August 2008

Within the framework of the “Exchange Program” in force between EUROPOL and INTERPOL, CSDB hosted a specialized officer from Europol's Forgery of Money Unit for approximately a two week period.  The main objective of this program was to enhance awareness and understanding towards INTERPOL’s strategic and operational roles, INTERPOL’s capabilities and capacity, and INTERPOL’s network of members and partners. Moreover, it also provided CSDB and FoMU the opportunity to specifically discuss our respective roles and our work in the fight against counterfeit currency. 

Podgorica, Montenegro
30 June - 2 July 2008

A Forensic Expert from INTERPOL CSDB participated in a three-day counterfeit currency training session in Podgorica, Montenegro.  The event was primarily financed by the European Commission Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), and supported by INTERPOL, the US Secret Service, Europol and ECB in regards to logistics, speakers, and trainers. The event was attended by approximately forty (40) Montenegrin law enforcement officials and judicial authorities, as well as relevant authorities within the Balkan region, to include Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Albania. 

Brussels, Belgium
25 June 2008

The team Leader of INTERPOL CSDB participated in the 48th Meeting of the European Counterfeiting Experts Group (ECEG) hosted by the European Commission Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in Brussels, Belgium. Approximately fifty (50) law enforcement and central banking representatives from Europe, as well as the ECB, ETSC, Europol and INTERPOL, attended this meeting. The objective of the one-day meeting was to review recent events, training seminars, and statistics in regards to the protection of counterfeit Euro currency. 

Zagreb, Croatia
17 – 18 June 2008

A Forensic Expert from INTERPOL CSDB participated as a featured speaker in a regional congress organized by OLAF, under the EU Commission’s Pericles Program, in cooperation with the Croatian Ministry of Interior in Zagreb, Croatia.  The seminar was attended by one hundred (100) delegates from law enforcement, central banks and judicial authorities, from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, as well as the ECB, Europol, and Eurojust. 

Rabat, Morocco
16 - 19 June 2008

A representative of INTERPOL CSDB participated in the 15th Conference of the Association of African Banknotes & Security Documents Printers, hosted by the Bank Al-Maghrib (Central Bank of Morocco).  Approximately 140 delegates from African Central Banks and private industries gathered to hear 33 presentations, ranging from banknote security, technology advancements, banknote durability, printing methods, and substrate developments.  The over all theme of the event was “The impact of present and future technological developments on banknote production in Africa”.

Munich, Germany
3 - 6 June 2008

A representative of INTERPOL CSDB participated in the “Law Enforcement meets Security-Printing Conference”, which was hosted by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in co-operation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).  A total of seventy-eight (78) representatives from law enforcement agencies, central banks and private industries within the European Union were present, as well as delegates from the ECB, ETSC, Europol, Eurojust, the US Secret Service, and OLAF.  The main objectives were to explore possible collaborations among the respective parties, as well as to provide a platform with experts from the security printing industry. 

Marne la Vallee, France
23 May 2008

A Forensic Expert from INTERPOL CSDB participated as a featured speaker in a counterfeit currency seminar organized by the International Banking and Finance Institute (IBFI) - Banque de France, in La Vallee, France. The Seminar was attended by thirty-two (32) representatives from the central banking community from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Oceania, who primarily work in the banknote production departments, cash services, and units responsible for anti-counterfeit initiatives.

The event provided an excellent forum for information sharing among the various central banking entities, and granted INTERPOL CSDB an opportunity to discuss developments within our services in the fight against counterfeit currency. INTERPOL CSDB was able to stress our activities that provide forensic support, operational assistance, and technical databases for the 186 member countries of the ICPO community as relating to counterfeit currency.

The Hague, Netherlands
21-22 May 2008

The Team Leader of INTERPOL CSDB participated as a feature speaker at an Experts Meeting on the Forgery of Money, hosted by Europol in The Hague. The two-day event gathered approximately forty (40) law enforcement officials from the European community, as well as representatives from the ECB, OLAF, Eurojust and the USSS.

The event provided an excellent forum for information sharing among the various law enforcement experts, which in turn granted all an opportunity to vet best practices. INTERPOL CSDB was able to provide an international perspective on the other international currency besides the Euro primarily seen within the respective nations --- the US Dollar.

Tokyo, Japan
23-24 April 2008

The Team Leader of INTERPOL CSDB participated in the 4th International Meeting of the Law Enforcement Advisory Group (LEAG) for the Central Banks Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG), in Tokyo, Japan. The event was hosted by the Bank of Japan, and was attended by experts from Europol, the US Secret Service (USSS), the Canadian RCMP, the Dutch KLPD, the United Kingdom SOCA, and the Japanese NPA, as well as representatives from the CBCDG Technical Working Group, in order to discuss best practices in addressing counterfeit currency.

The CBCDG is a group of twenty-seven (27) central banks and currency note printing authorities, organized by the governors of the G10 Central Banks, to investigate the common emerging threats towards the security of banknotes and to propose solutions for implementation by issuing authorities. In 2007, the Law Enforcement Advisory Group (LEAG), consisting of both international and national police forces in which their respective national central bank participate in the CBCDG, was organized in order to provide the CBCDG with information relating to current and future threats to currency.

Washington , DC – United States
6-10 April 2008

A Forensic Expert from INTERPOL CSDB participated as a feature speaker at Banknote 2008 Conference in Washington, DC. The event was hosted by the Banknote Conference Committee, with assistance from Kelly, Anderson & Associates, and gathered over four hundred-fifty (450) delegates from the international community.

The conference provided an excellent opportunity to focus on leading technologies and emerging trends by bringing together respected representatives from the security printing and supplying industry, as well as law enforcement and central banks, in order to discuss various aspects of banknote design, production, issuance and usage. INTERPOL CSDB was able to address our “International Cooperation in the Fight against Counterfeiting of Currency”, with regards to forensic analyses and currency databases, as well as to assess new technologies in the field.

Brussels , Belgium
13 March 2008

The Team Leader from INTERPOL CSDB participated as a speaker at the European Counterfeit Experts Group (ECEG) in Brussels, Belgium, hosted by the European Commission's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) for the Protection of the Euro, with seventy (70) law enforcement officials and central banking representatives from the region. INTERPOL CSDB was able to provide an international perspective on the other ICPO currencies that may be counterfeited on a global scale.

Guadeloupe , the Caribbean
28–31 January 2008

A Forensic Expert from INTERPOL CSDB participated as a feature speaker at a counterfeit currency seminar in Guadeloupe, the Caribbean, titled “Action Program in exchanges, assistance, and training in the Caribbean Zone”. The event was organized and financed by OLAF, under the EU Commission’s Pericles Program, in cooperation with the Office Central Pour la Repression du Faux Monnayage (OCRFM) for the French Ministry of Interior.

This Seminar was attended by seventy (70) law enforcement delegates from eighteen (18) different countries/regions within the Caribbean, to include: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto-Rico, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St. Marteen, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago.

Presentations were made by various law enforcement entities, to include Europol, the USSS and INTERPOL, with specific attention focused on the Euro and US Dollar, as well as scientific analyses that may be applied to all counterfeit investigations. In the end, the event provided an excellent forum for information sharing among the attendees, which in turn granted INTERPOL CSDB an opportunity to discuss developments within our technical database in the fight against counterfeit currency.

Paris, France
10-11 January 2008

The CSDB Team Leader met with senior leadership from the US Secret Service, as well as staff members from the US Senate Appropriations Committee, the US Senate Judiciary Committee, and the US Congress Judiciary Committee, visiting from Washington, DC. The meeting provided an excellent forum to discuss the role of INTERPOL CSDB regarding counterfeit currency and counterfeit payment cards, as well as to stress the need for continued support and cooperation within the international community.