Національна академія внутрішніх справ

Head of NAIA Research Laboratory on Criminal Police Issues Oleksandr Striltsiv took part in Regional meeting «Methadone maintenance therapy: law enforcement perspective» held in Astana (Kazakhstan).

Officials from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan participated in discussions on following topics:

- international and national legal and political limitations regarding methadone maintenance therapy issues;

- analysis of methadone maintenance therapy effects;

- methadone maintenance therapy effects in penal institutions;

- improvement of access to methadone maintenance therapy.

Oleksandr Striltsiv familiarized the participants with Ukrainian experience of methadone maintenance therapy programs implementation, its influence on state crime rate and achievemetns. He stressed thatmethadone maintenance therapy allows drug-addicted persons to be provided with different types of aid and services (HIV/AIDS tests, social support including employment etc). Special attention was paid results of research carried out by NAIA experts on the abovementioned topic.  

Presentations of other participants contributed to conclusions that  can:

- improve the local crime rate by stimulating drug-addicted persons to reject their anti-social habits and successfully integrate in the community;

- reduce the number of drug-addicted persons thus lowering the level of infectious diseases communication;

- improve local epidemiologic environment by promoting the medical and social services including early diagnosis and addiction treatment;

- result in stronger cooperation of police with NGOs and healthcare agencies and increasing trust to law enforcement through participation in methadone maintenance therapy program implementation.