Held at the International Training Centre on Combating Clandestine Laboratories (ITCCCL) at Legionowo and the Conference Centre at Jachranka, Poland on 12-23 May 2014, a course on the dismantling of illicit drug laboratories was organised by the Central Forensic Laboratory(1) of the Police (Poland), CEPOL and Europol.
The 10-day course was aimed at training law enforcement officers and forensic experts on methods of how to detect and dismantle illicit drug laboratories in a safe way as well as to raise general awareness on the problem as seen from the European agencies perspective. The course also focused on increasing cooperation between EU countries with regards fighting synthetic drug production.
32 participants from 20 EU countries, 1 representative from Eurojust and 1 representative from Columbia took part in the course. Theoretical and practical training sessions were conducted by prominent experts from Europol, EMCDDA, law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, and also from Thermo Scientific.
Course participants were presented with extensive information on methods of drug synthesis and production, equipment used at illicit drug production sites as well as procedures to be followed whilst dismantling illicit drug laboratories and the collection of evidence.
To ensure the course was successful and beneficial for all, the course organisers, in addition to their excellent preparation provided:
- a highly professional team of experts;
- active involvement of trainees especially in practical scenarios; and,
- an excellent platform for networking and sharing national drug crime problems.
(1) The course organiser, the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police, is a research institute operating in the area of forensic science and the main forensic casework provider in Poland. The institute, with a manpower of more than 200 employees, is responsible for elaboration of the most challenging and complex forensic casework whilst playing a supervisory role towards 17 regional police forensic laboratories nationwide. The Institute’s responsibility includes also the delivery of R&D in the area of forensic examinations.
