The Handbook on Firearms for Border Guards and Customs is developed to support border guards/police and customs officers with their daily duties at the border and thus improve detections of firearms, its parts and ammunition in respect to passengers, means of transportation and belongings. Moreover, the Handbook allows to better profile the control measures and increase awareness on modalities of arms trafficking with a focus on smuggling methods. One of the objectives is also to provide guidelines on security measures that should be undertaken by the officers when securing and handling the firearms and ammunition detected at the borders.

Contact: HoS.LES@frontex.europa.eu ; firearms@frontex.europa.eu 

The Handbook on Boarding in Frontex Coordinated Joint Maritime Operations: Best Practices & Guidelines sets out good or best practices in the practical conduct of boarding during the Frontex coordinated operational activities where migrant smuggling, drugs smuggling and other cross-border crime can be countered and what might lead to the boarding operations. 

Link: Handbook on Boarding in Frontex Coordinated Joint Maritime Operations Best Practices & Guidelines.pdf (europa.eu)

More emphasis is to be put on victims of trafficking arriving at the external borders as well as on increasing the likelihood of participants to identify potential cases of THB. The Handbook is developed to support participants in the early identification of victims of THB of respective nationalities and perpetrators crossing an external border together with the victims, as well as to provide an overview of the trafficking processes, including information on the recruitment of victims, the modi operandi of the criminal networks, and the victims’ situations.  

VEGA Handbook at  sea borders include best practices and recommendations provided by MS and other experts aimed at providing border guards with practical information and guidelines to enhance the identification and subsequent protection of children at risk of being trafficked or smuggled. The handbook also provide practical guidelines on how to interact with children during border checks. 

Contact: thb@frontex.europa.eu 

Link: VEGA Handbook: Children at sea borders (europa.eu)

VEGA Handbook at land borders include best practices and recommendations provided by MS and other experts aimed at providing border guards with practical information and guidelines to enhance the identification and subsequent protection of children at risk of being trafficked or smuggled. The handbook also provide practical guidelines on how to interact with children during border checks. 

Contact: thb@frontex.europa.eu 

Link: VEGA Handbook: Children at land borders (europa.eu)

VEGA Handbook at air borders include best practices and recommendations provided by MS and other experts aimed at providing border guards with practical information and guidelines to enhance the identification and subsequent protection of children at risk of being trafficked or smuggled. The handbook also provide practical guidelines on how to interact with children during border checks. 

Contact: thb@frontex.europa.eu 

Link: VEGA Handbook: VEGA_Children_Handbook.pdf (europa.eu)

This manual presents a comprehensive foresight methodology tailor-made to Frontex’s needs and specificities. It provides Frontex with the practical knowledge required to conduct Technology Foresight (TF) studies in key technological fields and research areas. In Frontex, TF is understood as a research-driven process specifically designed for the technological assessment and identification of key future technologies for a particular subject. Unlike forecasting, TF focuses on assessing the current state of technology and identifying a wide range of plausible future consequences of technological development. Results are presented as linked to scenarios for the future.

Link: https://www.frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Research/Technology_Foresight_on_Biometrics_for_the_Future_of_Travel_Annex_I.pdf

This study examines how border security research is set up, managed and operationalised in and beyond Europe.

Link: https://prd.frontex.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/study-from-lab-to-field-challenges-and-oportunities-for-operationalizing-border-security-research.pdf

The objective of the RVS is to provide a list of recommended vaccinations as a prevention measure for particular communicable diseases, specifically designed for the individual and community protection of personnel assigned to Frontex coordinated operational activities.  A secondary objective of the survey was to raise awareness on both the need of considering vaccinations as a useful tool to improve the OSH of all personnel deployed by Frontex via national partner authorities, and on the importance of recommendations/procedures for such personnel.

Contact: OSH@frontex.europa.eu