Disaster Victim Identification training takes place in Budapest

The International Training Centre, with the support of the National University of Public Service, organised the CEPOL onsite activity 83/2023/ONS: “Disaster Victim Identification, Management and Joint Operations” from 3-7 July in Budapest, Hungary. The aim of the course was to establish an enhanced coordination and management of national and international Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) operations.

The main goal of the four-day course was to enhance and harmonise the level of knowledge of law enforcement personnel involved in coordinating and managing disaster victim identification as well as in the identification of deceased victims. The participants successfully established effective training capabilities in this field by exchanging knowledge and experience regarding the preparation, setting up a DVI team and reviewing the different tasks of the DVI process with a specific focus on the multidisciplinary dimension. Those who successfully completed the course will be able to pass on their knowledge effectively in their own countries.

One day of the four-day course was designed to display a case study of the operation “Mermaid” which included political and media pressure management training as well.

Participants also had the opportunity to engage in scene management and recovery exercises. One of the aims of the simulation exercises was to give the colleagues an insight into the physical reality of the theoretical knowledge provided by the experts. With the help of actors and mannequins, participants were given the chance to demonstrate their acquired knowledge in a school shooting scene.

The organisers, with the support of Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation, the Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences and the expertise of trainers from Interpol, Israel and Portugal, succeeded in transferring practical knowledge at the European level, which can greatly contribute to the development and implementation of the Member States' own practices.

In total, 30 DVI-trained colleagues participated from 23 Member States, three from Ukraine and one from Turkey.

The course took place on the premises of the National University of Public Service, where the participants worked in small groups, monitored by several instructors.

Author: Hungary

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