From 1 to 12 June 2015, the Polish Central Forensic Laboratory
organised the CEPOL course 9/2015 on Illicit Laboratory Dismantling (advanced level). The activity took place at the International Training Centre on Combatting Clandestine Laboratories in Legionowo (Poland) and at the Conference Centre in Jachranka. Participants from 24 EU Member States, Norway and Iceland attended this activity.
The aim of the course was to train law enforcement officers and forensic experts on methods to detect and safely dismantle illicit drug laboratories, as well as to raise awareness on the relevance of this issue. The course also stressed the importance of increasing the cooperation within the EU in order to tackle the production of synthetic drugs.
Participants could take part in practical training scenarios: they gained insight into drug synthesis and production, equipment used at illicit laboratories and techniques to collect evidence. The course also served as a platform to meet new contacts and share experiences related to drug crime at national level. Fruitful exchange of knowledge certainly constitutes an added value to the work performed by forensic experts and law enforcement officers.
Among the lecturers and trainers were skilled experts from the EU agencies EUROPOL and EMCDDA, but also from law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland as well as representatives from the Thermo Scientific technological firm. Experts from the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police, the main forensic casework provider in Poland, also participated in the course.
