Government Offices are working with regional partners to deliver the Government’s National Drug Strategy, via both Drugs Action Teams and the Drugs Intervention Programme.
More information on the national picture
There are 33 multi-agency Drug Action Teams (DATs) in London that operate as partnerships. These partnerships are being encouraged to integrate with, or at least work more closely with, their Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships counterparts, responsible for delivering the Government’s Crime Reduction Strategy.
Local partnerships have key performance targets in each of the regional key areas of work, which are reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Government Office for London working in partnership with the National Treatment Agency.
Regional key areas of work are:
- Early identification and substance misuse interventions with vulnerable young people and drug information for all young people and families.
- Effective community engagement.
- More, better and fairer drug treatment.
- An integrated approach to cutting drug-related crime.
- Reduction of drug supply within local communities.
Drug Interventions Programme
People who misuse heroin or crack/cocaine often commit crime to fund their drug habit. The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), formerly the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme, aims to get these offenders out of crime and into drug treatment, breaking the cycle of drugs–crime–prison. DIP began in April 2003 and operates an intensive programme including drug testing on arrest in areas where acquisitive crime is highest.
All areas, intensive and non-intensive, provide a range of interventions to engage drug users in treatment at all stages of the criminal justice process from arrest to court and from community to prison and back.
(Updated 4/5/08)
