This report is the result of a Working Group that was convened in Rome this year to discuss issues related to policing for public health around key affected populations. The group comprised representatives from police agencies, academics, NGO, multilateral and activist backgrounds and institutions from ten countries, as well as UNAIDS and UNODC.
Below is a summary of the key conclusions:
-Policing and law enforcement involves a set of complex, challenging and context-specific behaviors and decision-making processes. Understanding how these factors influence interactions with key populations is critical to advocacy and education
-Effective public health and policing partnerships need a common language and understanding of key terms such as HIV prevention and harm reduction
-Policing for public health should aim to equally accommodate public health, individual, public and international security considerations on the balance of human rights
The Working Group hopes to continue its work with a second meeting at the Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference in Melbourne, November 11-14
