3rd International Conference on Law enforcement and Public Health

Themes

The intersection of law enforcement (especially police) and public health is manifold, covering the widest range of public health issues; longstanding, with an evolving history of collaborations; critically important, with many issues requiring an intersectoral approach; and inadequately recognised and understood. The LEPH Conferences address these deficiencies and explore the nature of the myriad interactions between police and public health.

Marginalisation is the enemy of security and health. Too often around the world, police have been agents of marginalisation. Inclusive policing works to overcome marginalisation, by according equal or greater attention and support to populations at increased risk because they are excluded and have unequal access to justice. LEPH2016 aspires to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to overcome marginalisation. Better partnerships between police and public health will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals:

• LEPH2016 will help promote healthy lives and well-being leading to peaceful and inclusive societies by an integrated approach of law enforcement and public health” (SDG 3)
• LEPH2016 will help build police-public health partnerships that are effective, accountable and inclusive” (SDG 16)

The Sustainable Development Goals were one of the main outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference. They will build upon the Millennium Development Goals and converge with the post 2015 development agenda. It was decided to establish an “inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process open to all stakeholders, with a view to developing global sustainable development goals to be agreed by the General Assembly”.

Objectives for LEPH2016 Amsterdam

The LEPH2016 Convener and Partners believe that, in addressing complex health and security issues:

• Law enforcement and health are intimately related and necessary partners
• Organizations from both fields should work together closely to increase the health and safety of citizens
• This is an important multidisciplinary domain which requires more exploration in empirical detail and in principle, and a greater focus on what the intersection means and necessitates, and how it can be improved and developed
• Further learnings in this domain are best gained by combining research insights and professional practices. This requires the bringing together of researchers, practitioners and policymakers
• International exchange of insights and practices is an important accelerator in the development of this important field
• This field has a crucial contribution to make to the achievement of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. (see below)

LEPH2016 moves the discussion from Description (LEPH2012) and Analysis (LEPH2014) to Action (LEPH2016). The Conference Program will be heavily weighted towards promoting collaborative action – in research, in policy development, in practice and in the integration of these three.

Major Conference Themes

LEPH2016 will present a multi-focused Conference Program that will address three main areas in generation of action:

• Substantive issues – all the particular public health and social issues in which the police-public health partnership is important
• Organisational issues – how to best achieve optimal and sustainable partnerships and collaboration
• Reflection and methodological issues – creating a science of the public health and law enforcement intersection

A very diverse range of LEPH2016 Conference Topics – each with their own challenges – will comprise the program. They include:

• Disability: policing and People with Disabilities
• Road trauma: impacts of road policing on public health
• Mental health: special challenges for policing
• Public health as crime prevention
• Policing and Public Health: the research, education and training agenda
• Alcohol regulation: regulation for health and public order
• Vulnerability, policing and public health issues
• Policing and HIV
• Violence: the Unsafe City and other violence prevention
• The Developing World
• Migrant, Refugee, Minority and Indigenous health
• Police leadership in public health responses
• Policing and marginalised communities

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