Ramallah, 23rd March, 2010 - EUPOL COPPS’ Head of Mission, Henrik MALMQUIST, co-chaired together with PCP’s Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Col. Jaber ASFUR, the graduation ceremony of a Unit of the Anti-Narcotics Administration in the Training Academy of the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) in Jericho.
The training program started last January with the development of a unified and comprehensive presentation about the drug problem in the Palestinian Territories, with the assistance of the Norwegian Narcotics Officers Association, and was followed by the donation of projectors and beamers for all Police districts in the West Bank.
After fulfilling the training program, the graduated officers will undertake an intensive community-based awareness raising campaign targeting mainly parents with children in ages that are prone to fall into drug-consumption, as well as University students directly. Moreover, they will distribute 5.000 posters and 20.000 brochures on the fight against drugs printed by EUPOL COPPS before the United Nation’s Global Day Against Drugs next 26th June.
EUPOL COPPS’ Head of Mission acknowledged that “the problem of drugs here is not as bad as we have it in Europe but we have to admit that the trend is increasing”. He then encouraged the PCP to “combat drugs at all levels, starting from the youth and the street level all the way up to Organised Crime”.
“A drug-free Palestine is a wonderful vision, but probably the reality will not be so nice at the end, but with the new mindset you have and a lot of work you shall be able to contain the problem and keep it small”, added Commissioner MALMQUIST addressing the Police officers just before the handing of their graduation certificates.
PCP’s Col. ASFUR recognised “drugs have become a global problem that we have to take very seriously and work together in order to stop this disease”. He then mentioned other examples of countries such as Afghanistan, Colombia and Morocco where drug production and trafficking have become structural parts of their economies and stated that “we have to act against drugs in all fields simultaneously: medical, legal, media, etc.”.
He finally thanked EUPOL COPPS in general and its Head of Mission in particular for “their support to the improvement of the PCP and the establishment of a Palestinian State that will share its burden in combating narcotics”.
