Every year, Frontex deploys thousands of officers to different external borders of the EU. They come from different Member States and have various tasks: some are border surveillance officers, while others are fingerprinting and registration experts or debriefing experts.
Here, we introduce different officers who have been deployed in our operations, and let them explain their work.
FINGERPRINTING AND REGISTRATION EXPERTS
Frontex assists Member States with identifying and registering all persons entering the territory of the EU. Fingerprinting and registration experts support national authorities with taking fingerprints of incoming migrants in order to establish where they entered the EU. Fingerprinting and registration experts support national authorities with taking fingerprints of incoming migrants in order to establish where they entered the EU. The fingerprints are logged in an EU fingerprint database, EURODAC, which is part of the EU’s ‘Dublin system’ for determining which Member State is responsible for examining asylum applications of a specific person.
Meet Diana, a fingerprinter from Romania, deployed in operation Poseidon in Greece:
My name is Diana, I am a border guard from Romania. This is my first deployment for Frontex, and I have been here for three months.
Here in the hotspot on Lesvos, I take fingerprints of the migrants who arrive in Greece. After that we register the data into a European database. We usually work in a team of two, sometimes with colleagues from different EU countries.
The work with the Frontex mission in Greece is a learning experience on different levels. First of all, you learn how to perform your job, which can sometimes be different from what you do at home, second, you work in an international environment and have a chance to learn from your colleagues.
ADVANCED LEVEL DOCUMENT OFFICERS (ALDO)
In order to diminish the risks associated with identity and document fraud, Frontex deploys Advanced Level Document Officers (ALDOs) to support the national authorities with performing checks of travel and identification documents of incoming migrants. ALDOs have specialised knowledge of different levels of security features of travel documentation. This enables them to assess the authenticity of documents and whether they are presented by the rightful holder. ALDOs are deployed to hotspots, as well as land and air-border operations.
Meet Lars, a document expert working for Frontex in Greece:
At home, I’m a border guard officer. This is the third time I’ve worked for Frontex, but I’ve also worked for the UN and other international organisations.
Why I’m doing this? Well, you see a lot about the camp here and the other islands in the media, but now I have an opportunity to see it with my own eyes and work with all my colleagues to make things better. For instance, one group set up a cinema for the kids, it’s in a tent up the hill. That made a real difference for them, you could see that from the grins on their faces.
INTERPRETER / CULTURAL MEDIATOR
The migrants who arrive in Europe come from many different countries and have different social and educational backgrounds. Not all of them speak English, French, or other European languages. Cultural mediators work as translators within Frontex operations. They provide linguistic support to the local authorities and Frontex experts in order to improve debriefing and screening activities as well as increase the quality of information gathered.
Meet Isam, an interpreter and cultural mediator from the Netherlands, deployed in operation Poseidon in Greece:
My name is Isam, I am an interpreter and cultural mediator from the Netherlands. I interpret from Kurdish and Arabic. This is my fifth deployment with Frontex.
I work closely with screening experts, helping Frontex officers and national authorities establish the nationalities of migrants. My job is to help find out which country the people come from, judging by their language and accent. Some people have lived in a specific area, picking the local accent and claim to be from a specific country. But this is not always the case. As a cultural mediator, I have to be able to identify the dialect of the person, but I also need to be familiar with the habits, culture, and beliefs in the country or the region.
As an interpreter it is necessary to know the dialects and the customs in different countries and areas. Since I am a Kurd from Iraq, and have lived in northern Africa, I also know the Arabic dialects from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
Sometimes the people we speak to are nervous, distressed from their journey, recounting very difficult memories. I try to give them support, so that they feel more secure.
SCREENING EXPERTS
Many people who cross Europe’s external borders irregularly arrive without any identification documents. Others claim false nationality in order to increase their chances of receiving a form of protection in the European Union.
Screening experts play a key role in helping national authorities establish the nationality of incoming migrants. This information is used for the identification and registration process that takes place after the screening. Screening experts also identify persons in need of international protection as well as those in a vulnerable situation, including unaccompanied minors, and refer them to the competent national authorities.
Meet Anne, a German police officer, deployed in Operation Triton in Italy as a screening expert.
A person’s nationality is a key piece of information collected at any border crossing. Determining the correct nationality is even more essential for irregular border crossings. This is where the screening officer comes in.
My job as a screening expert was to support the Italian colleagues to list the migrants arriving at the ports. We collected information about their names, nationalities, the reasons why they left their countries and additionally about the route they took to Europe.
The work was an important experience for me, for professional and personal reasons. I will have many memories from my work in Italy. It pained me to see many of the people who arrived in really bad condition. And then you start comparing your own impressions with what you have seen in the media. This was often very different.
I will also remember the time we went to the camp where many migrant children are living. We played ball with them for a long time and all of us had a lot of fun doing this together.
Within the past two months I have met and worked with many different people and colleagues from different countries and cultures.
I will be able to use the experience from my deployment with Frontex in my job back home, continuing the training of new police officers about to be deployed.
SUPPORT OFFICER
Meet Isaac, the Frontex Support Officer helping to integrate police officers from all over Europe
Isaac provides Frontex with expert support in operations at the EU’s external borders, helping to ensure they run smoothly and safely.
A Spanish Border Coordinator, Isaac is on his second Frontex deployment. He was first sent to Romania as an Advanced Level Document Officer, helping to check the travel and identity documents of newly arrived migrants. This time round, he’s joined Operation Triton as a Frontex Support Officer at the hotspot in Pozzallo, Italy.
As well as identifying on-the-spot needs essential for the operation’s successful implementation, Isaac is responsible for improving cooperation within multinational police teams.
It’s always a challenge to integrate officers from different police forces and different national cultures. Officers tend to stick with their own colleagues, especially to begin with, and so I make a great effort to get them working together.
Another of Isaac’s chief tasks is to monitor the disembarkation of migrants arriving in the EU.
I’ve had so many experiences – both shocking and heartwarming – over the years I’ve been doing this job that I’ve lost count. But the skills I’ve learnt in all that time help me in my role for Frontex, just as the knowledge I take with me from here helps me with my job back home.
DOCTOR
The people rescued by vessels deployed in Frontex operations often require medical attention. Many of the larger boats have their own medical staff to help the migrants, as well as their own crews, in emergencies. They also assist the most vulnerable people aboard, especially children.
Meet Bruno, a doctor from the Portuguese Navy, deployed aboard Portuguese OPV Viana do Castelo in Frontex Operation Triton in Italy:
As a military doctor, I must be prepared to provide medical support in numerous situations. Most of the time, I am an orthopaedics and traumatology specialist at the Portuguese Armed Forces Hospital. When aboard our vessel, I´m responsible for all the health of the entire crew. Participating in Frontex Operation Triton also allows me to help the people we rescue from the sea. It´s a demanding but also very a rewarding job.
BORDER SURVEILLANCE OFFICER
Border Surveillance Officers perform border surveillance activities as crew members on board vessels, helicopters, aircraft, patrol cars or thermo-vision vans. This means that the officers keep a look-out for any irregular or illegal activities taking place in their area of patrol. This could include detections of illegal border crossings, people smuggling, or drug-trafficking. There is always a local officer from the host member state present on their patrols.
While the primary objective of maritime operations is border control and surveillance, crew members are also prepared to perform search and rescue operations, and are regularly redirected by Italian or Greek authorities to assist migrants in distress.
Meet Hugo, a border surveillance officer from Portugal, deployed to Operation Poseidon in Greece.
My name is Hugo, I am a maritime police officer for the Portuguese Maritime Police. Back home I am specialised as a diver, and on Lesvos I am deployed as a member of a Portuguese coastal patrol crew in Frontex Operation Poseidon.
We support the Hellenic Coast Guard by performing border surveillance at Greece’s sea border.
With my training and experience from Portugal, I am prepared for border control tasks, as well as for the rescue of people at risk at sea.
NURSE
The people rescued by vessels deployed in Frontex operations often require medical attention. Many of the larger boats have their own medical staff to help the migrants, as well as their own crews, in emergencies. They also assist the most vulnerable people aboard, especially children.
Meet Astrid, a midwife and nurse, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, deployed aboard KBV 002 in Operation Triton in Italy:
Women and children refugees are among the most unprotected and exposed. As a midwife and nurse, I can give them support and help on board our ship. I participate in Operation Triton because I prefer to take action rather than just sit at home and watch. Here, I know that I can make a difference.
