Law enforcement

Effective law enforcement is essential in combating drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. Capacity building in this area is a significant component of many UNODC field activities. The Anti-Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Unit within the Anti-Trafficking Section of UNODC provides professional, technical assistance to law enforcement officers engaged in the efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. UNODC assistance includes institutional and operational capacity building of law enforcement and judicial bodies, in relation to investigation, prosecution and adjudication of serious crimes; the provision of modern training techniques such as computer-based training; assistance in legislative drafting; improving information exchange between law enforcement agencies and border-control.

The Unit has initiated and oversees numerous counter-narcotics and anti-organized crime projects.

The Anti-Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Unit supports sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, its subsidiary bodies and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Unit analyzes the Annual Report Questionnaires submitted by Member States and prepares significant seizure reports. UNODC uses these results to identify regional and global illicit drug trafficking trends and to forecast future directions.

Technical Assistance

Technical assistance helps create a framework for international law enforcement cooperation, and improves the ability of States to control their own crime problems before they extend beyond their national borders.

The Unit works with UNODC Field Offices to design appropriate projects, to technically assess them to ensure that project design is compatible with the relevant Conventions and supports sound law enforcement good practice. Reviews and evaluations of completed projects are also conducted to make sure that lessons learned can be applied to future activities.

The Anti-Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Unit also undertakes technical needs assessments, as a precursor to the drafting of an overall intervention strategy. Assessments take into account factors such as the local beneficiary agency's enforcement strategy, operational procedures, staffing, deployment, equipment, training and approaches to inter-agency and regional cooperation. Based on these findings, UNODC works with the beneficiary government to design and implement projects to enhance and expand agency capacities in these fields and strengthen international cooperation. An important strength of UNODC is its unique position to develop and cement cross-border and regional cooperation in drug law enforcement.

International Cooperation

Cooperation at the international level is essential to combat the illicit drug trade and transnational organized crime. The Anti-Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Unit assists donor States and bi-lateral donor countries in identifying recipient needs through the provision of a Law Enforcement Training and Assistance Database. In addition, it acts as a liaison with international partners, such as Interpol, Europol and the World Customs Organization, as well as with regional partners such as Europol and the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), the Regional Centre for Combating Transborder Crime. The Section also actively contributes to conferences, meetings and specialized workshops, promoting the implementation of the international drugs and crime control conventions and the technical work of UNODC.

Border Control

UNODC has implemented a number of successful border control initiatives in different regions, based around the establishment of Border Liaison Offices (BLO).

The programme supports countries which share long common borders, view each other with traditional reserve making cross-border communication difficult and, whose front-line enforcement agencies operate with quite limited equipment.The initiative builds trust and dialogue between the opposing border control agencies on shared borders, leading to their empowerment to act and respond quickly and in concert to requests for mutual assistance or information exchange without having to refer all decisions back to Headquarters.

The results have included the building of confidence, trust and communication between border agencies; regular meetings between senior staff from both sides growth of spontaneous information exchange about the movement of goods, suspects and vehicles across common borders; development of joint operations / patrols / surveillance of common trafficking targets

Regular activity reports to respective capitals and Headquarters ensure that politicians and senior officials are well briefed on border activities. The programme is human resource focused, quite low tech (but can be as sophisticated and expensive as funding will allow for) and once established, self-sustaining. Implementation leads to an increase of knowledge available about border operations, persons, goods, vehicles, vessels etc and so strengthens effective management of these areas.

Container Control Pilot Project

Increased participation in growing international trade is an essential part of sustainable development, however many developing countries do not have the capacity to establish effective trade security and facilitation standards at their ports, handling terminals and borders. Freight containers are an important part of the trade supply chain, however a number are being used to smuggle illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, weapons, explosives and other contraband. There is also a risk that they could also be used for direct terrorist attacks.

The UNODC Container Control Pilot Programme (pdf brochure), which is coordinated by the AOCLEU, aims to assist Governments initially in Ecuador and Senegal to establish effective container controls that will serve not only to prevent drug trafficking and other illicit activity but also to facilitate legitimate trade and raise state revenues. Dedicated port control units, comprising customs and enforcement officers, are being created at selected locations and staff trained and equipped to identify and inspect high-risk freight containers with minimum disruption to legitimate trade and business. The control units have regular access to experts and specialist mentor services and are encouraged to forge partnerships and links with the trade and business community. The project aims to develop closer cooperation and information exchange mechanisms not only between those participating in this project but also with other ports and drug control agencies. Plans to expand the programme to Pakistan and Ghana are in place.

Establishment of a Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC)

During the past decade, there has been an increase in the smuggling of the illicit Afghan opium and heroin through Central Asia. As part of the UNODC response to assist the law enforcement agencies of the Central Asian States to introduce an intelligence le d approach to counter the problem of drug trafficking and organized crime and to improve cooperation between these agencies, UNODC is assisting in establishing a Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC).

In order to ensure that information regarding cross border criminal activities is acted upon swiftly, the Centre will be staffed by liaison officers from law enforcement agencies of the member states. The Centre will serve as a regional focal point for communication, analysis and exchange of operational information in "real time" on cross-border crime, as well as a centre for organization and coordination of joint operations. As a result, the effectiveness and cooperation between competent authorities in Member States in preventing and combating cross-border drug trafficking and international drug-related organized crime will be greatly strengthened. Under the project will come renovated premises, provision of expert training and new operational equipment.

Tajikistan drug control agency (DCA)

In partnership with the government of Tajikistan, this project is designed to improve drug interdiction capacities, increase drug enforcement operations and dismantle organized criminal networks, through the provision of technical support to the dedicated Drug Control Agency. Through this assistance intervention, the DCA's capacity in crime analysis and development of an intelligence led police response is being strengthened. Additionally, law enforcement coordination and operational cooperation in particular between Tajik and Afghan law enforcement authorities is being fostered.