Conclusion

There are very good reasons why the health sector should collaborate with law enforcement agencies. Such cooperation is good for both agencies and for the community. Nevertheless, working together can be very difficult since totally different approaches and objectives are often adopted. When assessing the possibility of collaboration with law enforcement agencies, it is useful to ask the following questions:

· Has the agency ever considered a community and preventive approach?
· Are such approaches being considered at the moment?
· Have the deliberations actually resulted in action?
· To what extent has action been initiated and maintained?

If an agency has never considered a preventive programme, the way in which an approach is made needs to be radically different from an approach to an agency that is already involved in an active programme.