Fifteen officials from various Surinamese institutions, including the Military Police Corps, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Cooperation, the Directorate of National Security, the Suriname Police Corps, and the General Pension Fund, recently completed an advanced training program on identifying identity and document fraud. The ‘Document Security Course Advanced Level’ was conducted by the Expertise Center Identity Fraud and Documents (ECID) of the Dutch Royal Marechaussee, in collaboration with the Document Recognition Expertise Unit Suriname (DHEUS) of the Military Police Corps (KMP).
During the certificate ceremony, KMP Commander Lieutenant Colonel Roy Samuels emphasized the immediate applicability of the acquired knowledge in the participants’ respective fields. He highlighted the continuation of the project, stating, ‘More training sessions are planned, and we aim to elevate the program to a higher level.’ Samuels expressed gratitude for the partnership with ECID, led by Lieutenant Colonel Erik van Assen, which began two years ago.
Samuels further outlined the ambition to develop DHEUS into a training institute for Suriname and the wider Caricom region. ‘Our goal is to become the go-to institution for document verification and recognition. This initiative is unstoppable as it significantly benefits the nation,’ he asserted.
Van Assen pointed out that identity fraud is a widespread issue, extending beyond airports and passport issuance. He stressed the importance of enabling institutions to verify the authenticity of individuals and their documents. ECID will continue to support KMP in enhancing its capabilities to combat fraud effectively.