Police and our partners at home and overseas are working to tackle the drug trade and enhance policing capacity in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia.
Intelligence specialists from Customs and Police have delivered training to law enforcement agencies from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, with support from the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok.
In a separate project, New Zealand Police has delivered training in investigative interviewing to the Royal Thai Police.
Both programmes are funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Global Security Fund.
The intel training – in year two of a four-year project – aims to build capacity in intelligence gathering, collation, dissemination and sharing to help combat drug production and trafficking in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
The region is one of the world’s main illicit drug production and trafficking areas, with drugs trafficked from the region to Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania.
For Superintendent Karyn Malthus and David Radovanovich (pictured) - Police and Customs Liaison Officers in Southeast Asia – the training presents an opportunity for the agencies to work together on shared interests.
“By providing training, Thailand and New Zealand are helping support regional initiatives to combat the impact of illicit drugs in the immediate region and globally - including controlled drugs destined for New Zealand,” says David, who is leading the programme.
“This is a way we can take the fight to the transnational organised crime groups targeting New Zealand,” says Karyn.
They are working in partnership with the Thailand Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), which hosted the training and provided the facilities, other trainers and facilitators.
Two New Zealand trainers – from Police and Customs - travelled to Thailand in May to deliver the week-long course, with the support of ONCB facilitators from Thailand. It was their second time leading the course.
Under the interview project, two interview trainers from the Royal New Zealand Police College travelled to Bangkok, where they ran a ‘train the trainer’ session with key personnel from the Royal Police Cadet Academy, Department of Special Investigations and prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney-General.
Karyn says the objective is for the participants to be inducted into investigative interviewing techniques using the internationally recognised PEACE model, then consider how they might incorporate this into their own training programmes.
“It’s a way New Zealand Police can help the Royal Thai Police gather information efficiently and in a way which also promotes human rights, dignity and respectful treatment of suspects,” she says.
“The PEACE investigative interviewing model is fit for any country to use as their interviewing model.”
Police is working with the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), an independent international organisation which works with governments, national human rights institutions and civil society to prevent abuses.
“Thailand has introduced legislation against torture and now I am pleased that we have been able to bring New Zealand Police and Royal Thai Police together to study and learn about investigative interviewing techniques," says Nid Satjipanon, APT Regional Project Manager in Southeast Asia.
Both intel and interviewing courses were opened by His Excellency Jonathan Kings, New Zealand Ambassador to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. He says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to support countries in Southeast Asia by providing law enforcement training.
“Each of our governments recognises the harm caused by drug trafficking, not only to our New Zealand communities who are targeted by transnational organised criminals in Southeast Asia, but in those countries whose communities are also harmed by those traffickers,” he says.
“Enabling New Zealand law enforcement to train with agencies across the region fosters enduring relationships and ensures New Zealand’s priorities are understood.”