Serious Organised Crime (SOC) is a topic covered by our Rule of Law capacity building programme, and drugs crimes are at the heart of all SOC. From trafficking, sales, production to the handing of rehabilitation, Beyond Borders works with experts from across the legal, law enforcement, judicial and NGO sector to facilitate sessions on how to better tackle the growing threat posed by illegal drugs.

Scope

By approaching the topic holistically Beyond Borders works with groups to explore the full process of a drug crime, identify the longer-term investigation potential and encourage governments to have a holistic, coordinated approach to tackling it. Working with our expert partners, the themes covered in our drugs crimes training are tailored to the country we are working with and the scale of the challenges that are being faced but they can include, the following:

Identification – Uncovering the longer term investigation potential

This theme covers the identification of the longer-term investigation potential when dealing with drug crimes, cross-agency coordination throughout all stages of investigation to see beyond the individual drug user and unpick the wider drug trafficking and sales networks, including where and how to work with international partners.

Investigation training in the era of changing types of evidence

Investigation training including best practice for evidence gathering, preservation, forensics in the modern era when often full cases can be based on mobile phone evidence. Programmes follow this theme all the way to presentation in court.

Handling of vulnerable individuals

A recurring area of focus is the treatment of victims, witnesses, and vulnerable adults and children. This can be looked at initially through the legislative frameworks that are currently in place, with a view to determining whether there are areas that can be amended. It can also look at how victims, witnesses and vulnerable adults/children are handled throughout the process of an investigation and trial, including the psychological impact of trauma, and investigative interview training and concluding with how victims of trafficking and drug addicts are rehabilitated where possible into society, including suspects, victims, children and witnesses.

Proceeds of Crime

An increasingly important element of serious organised crime is how to handle the significant proceeds of such crimes. The handling of POC tends to differ from country to country and is always an interesting comparative model. This topic will closely examine the UK’s Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and also the UK’s new Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) as a useful tool in building cases.

Impact

Programmes take the form of in depth in-country training with leading experts from multi-sector backgrounds or UK study visits. Training in-country includes working through case studies, role-play, lectures, simulations and group work. UK visits allow access to a wider range of individuals and organisations and include onsite visits to those tackling drugs crimes on the frontline, intergovernmental round-tables, NGO engagement and the opportunity for court observation.