From 14 to 16 April in Karaganda and 19 to 21 April in Kokshetau, the Office co-organized a training seminar for police officers on psychological profiling techniques to be used when policing large-scale events. The seminar, co-organized by the Office and the Interior Ministry, was led by experts from the Association of Psychologists and Behavioural Therapists of Kazakhstan.
The event is a follow-up to seminars on best practices in public assembly management and profiling techniques, which were held in October, November and December 2016 in Astana and Almaty in preparation for Expo 2017 and the Universiade 2017 Winter Games. Some 35 mid-level officers and instructors of the Karaganda Police Academy and 30 officers and cadets of the Kokshetau Technical Institute under the Interior Ministry’s Emergency Committee learned about psychological techniques for identifying potential threats during mass events. Experts focused on psychological profiling, including identifying the elements of risk profiles, crowd mentality and psychological methods of influencing an aggressive crowd, lie detection techniques and drills to improve visual memory, concentration and attention. Experts also presented ways to use different risk indicators. The course was followed by a practical exercise where police offices worked in the city to practice using their news skills in the analysis of crowd situations under the guidance of the experts.