Bringing law enforcement officers closer to other agents of prevention. The experience with UNODC Guiding Document on the Role of Law Enforcement Officers in Drug Use Prevention within School Settings

Authors

1.Mr. Ali Yassine (⚑ Austria) 1

2.Dr. Wadih Maalouf (⚑ Austria) 1

1. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Abstract

Worldwide, law enforcement officers (LEO) are frequently involved in in school-based drug prevention responses. However, such responses consist of improvised tools not aligned with the science. To that effect, the UNODC developed a guiding document on the role of LEO in drug use prevention within school settings to enhance their potential effectiveness especially in such crucial settings. It aims to change the culture of prevention in the context of law enforcement, bringing them closer to science and other agents of prevention.

In 2022, the UNODC piloted the guiding document in Panama, training 35 LEOs actively engaged in school-based drug prevention activities. The training provided LEOs with the necessary knowledge on the science to effectively implement prevention in line with the guiding document and UNODC/WHO International Standards on Drug Use Prevention. Furthermore, this pilot sought to evaluate the applicability of the guiding document during development.

Building on the success of the pilot training in Panama, the UNODC further trained 50 LEO from the gulf region post-development. The regional workshop took place in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates. This regional training program represents a significant step towards putting the guiding document in practice. 

Further to the guiding document, through pre- and post-training assessments, feedback mechanisms, and ongoing data collection, analysis and interpretation, the UNODC aims to evaluate the impact of the trainings in changing behaviour, attitudes, and practices of LEO towards prevention and its science. This is with the hope to eventually develop a new LEO workforce better equipped with science in implementing prevention. 

This presentation will reflect on experience so far and future plans to this effect.