‘The benefits of police adopting a partnership based approach to addressing drug issues in

the community’

Police and Harm Reduction

What might be some benefits to police in adopting a partnership based approach to addressing drug issues in the community?

Police and Harm Reduction

1. Drug users need a ‘bridge to treatment’.

Evidence shows that drug users need user-friendly services. Once engaged they often request assistance to access drug treatment such as methadone and buprenorphine.Other programs, including employment and housing services, can also reduce drug use problems.

Police and Harm Reduction

2. Drug services can improve the amenity (cleanliness) of an area.

Drug services such as NSP and MMT are set up in areas where drug use is an existing problem. Service providers can conduct street sweeps to collect discarded syringes etc.Staff can provide sharps containers and literature for clients on safe disposal.Staff can provide collection services for the community.Referrals by police to drug service providers

Police and Harm Reduction

3. Drug treatment programs have been shown to reduce crime.

Research in many parts of the world (Zunyou 2005) has demonstrated that by providing access to treatment services such as methadone, participants’ involvement in crime is reduce significantly.

Police and Harm Reduction

4. Police resources can be used more efficiently and effectively.

Through re-directing resources away from minor street- level drug use (and allowing drug services to operate unhindered), police can focus on the more harmful aspects of the illicit drug trade, such as trafficking, or direct resources toward substances that may be causing more damage to the community, such as alcohol.

‘Streamlining’ processes when dealing with minor offenders (cautions, referrals etc) can reduce police resource allocation that can be directed toward other more serious offences.

Police and Harm Reduction

5. Drug treatment programs reduce the spread of HIV and therefore reduce the risk to police.

Drug treatment has been shown to be effective in preventing the spread of HIV in both high- risk groups and the general community.By supporting these services, police can reduce the risks to themselves, particularly through occupational exposure, as well as to their families and friends.

Police and Harm Reduction

6. Police resources are limited. By supporting drug treatment police can develop effective working relationships with other agencies, such as health departments and NGOs to share resources.

There is often an unrealistic expectation that police are the only answer to the ‘drug’ problem.If police engage with other stakeholders such as education and health agencies and share resources and expertise, the drug issue will be seen as community problem, not just on for the police.

Addressing barriers…..

Police need to be shown:

• Effectiveness of referral/diversion approaches need to be demonstrated – impact on crime rates and improvement in people’s lives

• Benefits not just for individual but for the whole community

• They are part of a bigger picture in reducing the impact of drugs in their community – not working in isolation

Addressing barriers……

Police need:

• To feel supported and rewarded (by superiors) when implementing referral programs

• Resources to reduce harms to police (equipment etc)

• The concept of referral/diversion programs operationalised and integrated into everyday practice and streamlined for ease of implementation

Police – Health Relationships

Ingredients for a successful collaborative partnership between police, health and other agencies could include:

Police – Health Relationships

• Collaborative partnerships between police and health should be seen as an alliance with equal responsibility for successes and failures; working together to achieve a common purpose.

• Inter-agency and cross-jurisdictional

cooperation/collaboration have been identified as a valuable strategy at the local level for identifying and for dealing with drug-related problems but need legitimacy from superiors.

Police – Health Relationships

• Collaboration between police, health, other agencies and the community operates in many countries and they generally consist of groups of people at all levels working together to take action on drug-related concerns in their community.

The Outcomes:

Police can fulfil their law enforcement role, be accountable, provide a service to and meet the expectations of the community and still support drug treatment programs without compromising their role.

© Copyright The University of Melbourne 2008