Currently, there are 15 Drug Partnerships in the South West. In unitary authority areas, nine merged crime and drug partnerships form the multi-agency partnerships which are responsible for delivering the twin agendas of reducing crime and reducing the harm that drugs cause. In the county areas the drugs element is handled by six Drug Action Teams (DATs) who work closely with their Crime and Disorder Reduction (CDRP) counterparts.
These local partnerships have performance targets in each of the regional key areas of The Drug Strategy. We review these regularly, in partnership with the National Treatment Agency (NTA) and also identify and promote best practice in all areas of drug prevention and advise local partnerships on how to work more effectively.
New Drug Strategy
The new National Drug Strategy was published on 27 February 2008 and is a cross-Government program of policies and interventions that concentrate on the most dangerous drugs, the most damaged communities and problematic drug users. The Drug Strategy further aims to reduce the harm that drugs cause to society: to communities, individuals and their families. The document can be found by following the link to the Home Office website on the link below.
The main features of this new ten year drug strategy are:-
Drugs cause considerable harm to society. The Government, working with the police, enforcement agencies and prosecutors, treatment services, children’s services and communities, is determined to tackle the problem. Our shared ambition is to see communities with drug-free streets and our young people and families making drug-free choices.
The Drug Interventions Programme
People who misuse heroin or crack cocaine often commit crime in order to fund their drug habit. The Drug Interventions Program (DIP) aims to get these offenders out of crime and into treatment, breaking the cycle of drugs-crime-prison. All areas 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.
In the South West, only Bristol operates as an intensive DIP which includes drug testing on arrest. 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.
Need help with a drug problem?
If you are worried about your own or someone else’s drug use and need to talk to someone the FRANK helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service is free to call from UK landlines, and can cater for 120 languages. Advice is given in strict confidence and the call won't show up on your phone bill. A talk to Frank website and email facility is also available. The website provides factual, non-judgmental, information about drugs and other illicit substances and their effects.
Phone FRANK on 0800 917 8765. The website link is below. Alternatively, find your local drug treatment service in the telephone directory under “Addiction” and “Drug abuse and advice”
If you are concerned about drug dealing or drug misuse within your community you should contact your local Neighbourhood Policing team
