The role of police in harm reduction: experiences from Kyrgyzstan

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The role of police in harm reduction experiences
from Kyrgyzstan

• Aleksandr Zelichenko,
• police colonel, PhD,
• Chief of the Center of Police Reform

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• In last few years Kyrgyzstan accumulated good
  practical experience in cooperation of police,
  governmental, non-governmental organizations and
  local communities in HR activities.
• But this active police involvement had been
  preceded by the decade-long educational campaign
  against police illiteracy in the problem.

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• First steps in police training in basic knowledge
  on HIV/AIDS nature, its prevention, and tolerant
  attitude to the injected drug users - the major
  risk group that time and now - had been made in
  the late 1990th by members of international
  organizations Doctors sans frontiers and Harm
  Reduction.
• The process started in Osh the city in the
  south region of Kyrgyzstan that still maintains
  the position of the center of Afghan
  narcotraffic and thus, the area of the highest
  rate of injected heroin users. That time the
  first in republic HIV infected via the tip of
  the needle patients had been detected there, in
  the south.

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• Later on, in 2000-2001 the HIV-service NGOs and
  non-governmental organizations, helping the
  sex-workers, joined the process of the police
  education.
• The leaders of those organizations completed TOT
  courses (training of trainers) and started to
  educate the police with special focus on the
  units in most probable direct contact with
  HIV/AIDS problem district police, police
  inspection for juvenile offenders, patrol forces,
  road police...

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• The seminars mostly concentrated on the problems
  of sex-workers and injected drug users human
  rights violation, although included some
  information about infection diseases, roots of
  invasion and ways for prevention.
• It is important to mention that, due to their
  specific professional experience, mentality,
  knowledge and skills obtained in the Police
  Schools, the police officers could hardly accept
  the drug users and sex workers, even former, in
  capacity of trainers...
• After sustainable changes, this type of training
  still takes place and very actual today.

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• In 2002-2003 various international organizations
  (e.g. AIDS Foundation East-West, Soros
  Foundation, etc.) came back to the area of police
  education, this time on the new higher level.
  In addition, they invited very experienced
  trainers and international experts.

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• Later on, after number of special seminars for
  trainers, the local police officers, some of them
  the high ranked police authorities, also had
  been involved into the teaching process.

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• The next step the educating institutions of the
  Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior started to develop
  and implement the special training programs.
• A good example is 36-hours training course on
  HIV/AIDS, other common infections (e.g.
  tuberculosis, hepatitis ?) and ways of invasion
  prevention, included into the curriculum of
  Bishkek Police Academy since 2004.

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• The Medical Department of MIA also joined the
  process of police staff educating and actively
  distribute knowledge about HIV/AIDS, other sexual
  transmitted diseases, ways of prevention.
• They scheduled the special site visits to the
  police stations to give lectures and seminars,
  using video materials, poster presentations, and
  other teaching aids.
• All these lessons are included into the service
  training plan the curriculum and timetable are
  approved by the chief of the city or regional
  police station.

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• In the year 2005 the police newspapers started to
  publish the corresponding materials in Russian
  and Kyrgyz languages.
• Almost each weekly issue included digests of the
  international Mass-Media on the problem and
  articles by specialists in infectious diseases,
  science of laws and police practice aimed to
  address needs in police education.

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• In 2005 in support of the Kyrgyz Ministry of
  Interior application, the Open Society
  Institution granted US40,000 and sponsored the
  project aimed on the developing the training
  course in the Police Academy of MIA.
• The project envisages training for police cadets
  and acting officers (including trainees from
  other republics) in Harm Reduction philosophy and
  practice.
• As it becomes clear from the course title, it is
  not limited by the general, basic principles of
  HIV prevention, although this is the large
  component of the program.
• The ultimate goal is to teach the police
  community in new approaches, to develop the
  tolerant attitude towards drug-users, HIV
  infected people and sex-workers.

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• The training course is developed in the context
  of the police reforming, with great input and
  active participation of NGOs and civil society,
  assigned representatives to the working group.
  The course materials had been regularly reviewed
  and evaluated on the round tabled with
  representatives of civil society and NGOs.
• In the framework of the project it is also
  developed and going to be published soon a
  textbook, means to place the Harm Reduction
  approaches to the scientific level with
  methodological base developing and prospective
  application of the HR principles on the various
  negative social phenomenon.
• The training course is scheduled for 36 teaching
  hours, designed for all fourth training year
  cadets, with post-course exam.

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• In 2007 the novels in the national anti-drug
  legislation had been proposed by the Law
  Enforcement structures, in close cooperation with
  international organizations, NGOs and
  representatives of civil society.
• The new anti-drug law allowed decriminalization
  of minimal doses of drugs possession for personal
  consumption heroin up to 1g, opium up to 5
  g, marihuana up to 20g.
• We expect that these changes will become an
  effective step towards HIV/AIDS prevention in
  injected drug users (IDU).

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• Basing on The National Act on HIV/AIDS
  Prevention, the Ministry of Interior Affairs
  issued the second edition of Instruction for
  Police Forces for HIV/AIDS prevention in service
  personnel and vulnerable groups of population.
  Id like to stress especially the vulnerable
  groups of population (VGP), who delegated
  representatives into the working group on the
  Instruction design.

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Instruction was firmed up by the special order,
laying down that police personnel must

• Explain to VGP - representatives their rights and
  responsibilities in full accordance with
  correspondent chapters of national legislation
• To communicate with general population and VGP -
  representatives about ways of HIV invasion and
  preventive measures, to inform them about
  availability of post-contact prevention and
  provide them with correspondent contact
  information

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• To inform VGP - representatives about current
  programs on harm reduction and HIV/AIDS
  prevention needles/syringes exchange units,
  methadone therapy centers, specialized medical
  facilities, rehabilitation centers, social
  services, crisis counseling centers and
  hot-lines, peer-to-peer groups, and to recommend
  the contact addresses

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• To provide available information materials and
  reference literature (posters, booklets, designed
  by the Republican Association HIV/AIDS, NGOs,
  international organizations)

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Police personnel, working with VGP, must

• Avoid all types of discrimination and violation
  of rights of VGP, impertinence, any actions and
  wording denigrating their honor and dignity, to
  treat them with politeness and sensitivity, to
  avoid any hostility demonstration, to keep order
  and self-control in all situations
• In approach to VGP to identify yourself with
  service ID, inform on your position, rank and
  family name, and about cause and goal of approach

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• In presence of legal reason for VGP personal
  identification and documents inspection, to make
  a written report, to be careful with documents
  and hand it back to owner after inspection, to
  avoid any extralegal documents inspections and
  seizures

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• To apply to VGPs the necessary procedural
  enforcement measures in full accordance with
  national Administrative and Criminal codes, to
  avoid any actions, violating their rights on
  personal privacy, to warranty the confidentiality
  of information, disclosed in course of official
  duties execution, never misuse the dependence of
  drug-users to obtain evidence or unsubstantiated
  testimony

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• To avoid unwarranted detention and personal
  search of VGPs and participants of Harm Reduction
  and HIV/AIDS prevention programs
• To avoid any actions, preventing Harm Reduction
  and HIV/AIDS programs from normal functioning in
  the areas of these programs location

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• Any deliberate disregard of this instruction is
  subject for disciplinary sanctions imposition
• The police personnel must have skills in first
  medical aid in case of over-dosing and other
  medical emergency conditions, threatening for the
  life and health of VGPs

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• In spite of all above, I must admit that current
  situation is still very far from perfect. Because
  of the high turnover rate of personnel,
  especially on the primary level district
  police, police inspection for juvenile offenders,
  patrol forces, etc., the quantity is not
  converted into quality. We still have reports
  about police ambushes near methadone therapy
  centers, dull detentions of outreach workers,
  engaged in exchanging needles and syringes.
• But we can also report about equal number of
  cases of effective communication of police
  personnel with injected drug users about danger
  of their risk behaving. Police officers explain
  the VGPs ways of HIV invasion and its prevention,
  direct and in many case bring them into
  HIV-service NGOs, work with families of drug -
  users

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• In May of this year, at the initiative of the
  Ministry of Interior, the concept of HR, as one
  of the basic principles of HIV/AIDS prevention,
  had been included into the Strategy of National
  Security of Kyrgyz Republic that is being
  developed currently.

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• This all means that we have a great challenging
  task ahead
• Thank you for your attention.
• Any questions???