Law Enforcement, Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Workshop

Dates: Friday 4 September – Saturday 5 September 2026

Time: 9am – 5pm

Location: Cloth Hall Court, Quebec St, Leeds LS1 2HA

Price: £60.00 per person (price includes attendance for both days, lunch and refreshments) – subsidised through sponsorship

A satellite meeting at #LEPH2026 – the 8th International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, Leeds, UK, 6-9 September, 2026

Convenors

Background

Aside from the users of drugs and their families, no group is more affected by current illicit drug policies than are police. The use of and dependence on illicit drugs are the result of social and health determinants, especially mental health issues, and lead to social and health adverse consequences.

The prevention of harms associated with the use of illicit drugs, and the response to their use and associated harm, is the province of both the law enforcement and the public health sectors.

There is often, however, a gulf between law enforcement policy and practice and public health policy and practice.

This workshop continues the series of meetings at the annual LEPH conferences to explore issues of common interest to both sectors, to share experiences and perspectives, examine evidence about innovative approaches that achieve both public health goals and optimize community safety, and make recommendations about effective and humane approaches.

As a Public Health conference, we seek to find how police can better be included as part of the public health workforce and contribute to the achievement of public health goals, which are grounded in human rights, community safety and public security.

This workshop is proudly organised by GLEPHA’s Special Interest Group on Law Enforcement and Harm Reduction, Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and Transform Drug Policy Foundation.

Speakers

Ruben Boomsma, Deputy Superintendent, Police Netherlands

Ruben Boomsma (1980) has been working for the Netherlands Police for more than twenty years in a variety of operational and leadership positions. He currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent in Amsterdam, leading a police team responsible for maintaining public safety, addressing crime and disorder, and strengthening relationships with local communities. Throughout his career, he has gained extensive experience in frontline policing, having served in several operational teams across North Holland. Ruben is actively involved in diversity policymaking within the Dutch police and serves as Co-Chair of the Dutch Society of Evidence-Based Policing (SEBP-NL) and Chair of the Dutch branch of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAPNL). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. His professional interests focus on improving the effectiveness, legitimacy, and evidence base of policing, with a strong interest in innovation, public trust, and evidence-informed policy.

Ailish Brennan, Policy Analyst and Campaigner, Harm Reduction International

Ailish Brennan is a drug policy advocate and harm reductionist working as part of the Sustainable Finance team in Harm Reduction International. Her work has spanned from local harm reduction organisations to global policy analysis and she currently focuses on advocating for divestment from the unjust and wasteful policies of the war on drugs, and investment in policies prioritising the health, justice, and human rights of people who use drugs.

Assistant Commissioner (ret’d) Gary Ritchie, Global Consortium Group | Edinburgh Napier University

Gary is a Managing Partner with the Global Consortium Group and a former Assistant Chief Constable with Police Scotland. He led the development of Scotland’s first police drug strategy, shifting focus from enforcement to harm reduction, and oversaw the national roll-out of Naloxone to frontline officers. A strong advocate for public health approaches to policing, Gary has collaborated internationally on leadership and harm reduction initiatives and is Chair of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research’s International Board.

Professor Alex Stevens, University of Sheffield

Alex is Professor of Criminology at the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Criminological Research. He is also Chair of the Drug Science Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group, and a former President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy and member of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. He was the principal investigator for the PDD evaluation.