First European conference on drug supply indicators, 20-22 .10.2010, Brussels – Feed-back

1. First European conference on drug supply indicators, 20-22.10.2010, Brussels – Feed-back Chloé Carpentier, Laurent Laniel, EMCDDA 33rd meeting of the EMCDDA Scientific Committee 16th November 2010

2. Background EU Drug Action Plan 2009-2012, Action 67: “To develop key-indicators for the collection of policy-relevant data on drug-related crime, illegal cultivation, drug markets and supply reduction interventions and to develop a strategy to collectthem”

3. General objectives Conference: a first step in a process towards key indicators Establish a strategy for putting in place the information tools needed to improve the evidence base for understanding drug supply in Europe Participants – forensic scientists, law enforcement, criminologists, data analysts, monitoring professionals Three main themes – markets, crime, supply reduction

4. Specific objectives • Current ‘state of the art’ in data availability and reporting tools • Structural and practical barriers and how to overcome • New approaches and potential monitoring options • Possible new developments within the existing framework • Consensus on a road map for scaling up existing practices • Basis for a network of both operational and scientific experts

5. Key conclusions Consensus • Need to develop our understanding of drug supply • Guiding principles • Methodological understanding • Challenges Three main areas • Drug markets • Drug crime • Drug supply reduction Next steps

6. Need to develop our understanding of drug supply issues A key drug policy area Supply reduction receives a large amount of public funding A gap in the existing knowledge base To better design and target measures to fight drug supply To assess unintended consequences Source of trend information and part of the bigger picture

7. Structure of the work Recognise the links but for practical efficiency organise the work around three themes: • Markets • Crime • Supply reduction In each area, need to • Build – scaling up existing approaches • Develop and access – innovative approaches, analytical needs, research priorities • towards a practicallygrounded roadmap with clear short, medium and long term objectives

8. Drug markets (I) Essential datasets: drug purity, tablets contents, prices Audit of datasets and review of reporting practices and consensus on core data and methodologies, so as to Develop European standard instrument tailored to different market levels (from retail to wholesale and import), which Includes guidelines on data recording and reporting, and Identifies analytical issues and approaches, implementation issues, obstacles and opportunities

9. Drug markets (II) Also explore: • Forensic science: great potential - Adulterants and mixtures of psychoactive substances - Reporting framework linked to Euro-wide EWS - Maybe: central system for synthesis of reference material and collection and analysis of drug samples (linked to EWS)? • Precursors: production and trafficking • Sizing markets (demand-side) • Methods for price-purity prices • Wastewater analysis, internet as monitoring tool, drugs as competing commodities (stimulants).

10. Drugs and crime (I) Large and complex field: a variety of criminal acts, hard to bring under common framework Definition needed to identify areas where measurement is possible, practical and realistic Need to link with other criminal justice datasets and police reporting Suggestion to broaden definition to look at actors and positions in the different offences of the supply chain.

11. Drugs and crime (II) Need to prioritise monitoring and research goals: - Drug law offences: - Need to reconcile European datasets and agree on common case definition - Develop an European standard instrument (inc. guidelines for collection and reporting) - Address link between supply, OC and criminal hubs - Intra-European drug production: a must for knowledge development - Understanding economic issues

12. Drug supply reduction (I) Broad, diverse and complex field where policing and criminal justice play central role Drug policing: multi-faceted activity with range of organisations, actors, methods and practices But not all drug policing is supply reduction (and vice-versa) Need for clear conceptual framework of supply reduction in order to better understand and monitor Seizures and DLOs: potentially indicators of supply reduction activity

13. Drug supply reduction (II) An under-researched field, need to develop priorities • EMCDDA to produce picture of DSR activities in Europe - Starting point: existence, role and practices of specialised drug units (“drug squads”) - European cooperation: practical implementation and benefits - Alternative development: relevant for Europe? • Euro-DSR part of bigger context

14. Where do we go next Three working groups in main areas Take forward discussions Develop a proposal • concepts, priorities and a realistic approach • key indicators conceptualization • implementation strategy 2nd European conference in 2012 – consensus building

15. Thank you for your attention