Education - demand reduction

In brief: youth education 30,000 young people complete DARE programmes each year. 120 Police Education Officers (PEOs) placed in schools work to increase safety awareness around drugs 170 Youth Aid officers work in restorative justice to ensure youth drug offenders do not re-offend. 13,000: the number of hours spent by PEOs delivering of drug education to young people. 2000: the number of hours spent by PEOs working with teachers and parents.

Educating young people using family and school-based drug education programmes is one of the most effective ways to prevent the use of illicit drugs and in turn reduce drug crime*.

To help educate those most at risk, 120 Police Education Officers are placed within schools to run DARE programmes specially designed for:

• school staff DARE Reducing the harm
• parents DARE Support your kids
• primary and secondary school students DARE to make a choice - Tēna Kōwhiria and DARE to drive to survive

As well as educating children, their parents and teachers, New Zealand Police utilize restorative justice and family group conference techniques to enable youth using drugs to understand the long term effects of their actions.

You can help by:

• join a DARE support committee
• start your own action plan
• find out more about the work of DARE, Police Education Officers, Youth Aid Officers and Ethnic Liaison Officers.

More information

Effective Drug Education for Young People: A Literature Review and Analysis.

Strengthening Drug Education in School Communities PDF

Overview of the Youth Justice Process

FAQ - How does the NZ law define use, possession, cultivation and trafficking?