Drug supply, related crime and the national drug strategy

In December 2002 the Government launched the Updated Drug Strategy 2002.   

This built upon, and adapted the Government's Drug Strategy Tackling drugs to build a better Britain, launched in 1998.

Aiming to reduce the harm that drugs cause to society - communities, individuals and their families - the Drug Strategy has four main elements

• Young people - preventing today's young people from becoming tomorrow's problematic drug users;
   
•  Reducing supply - reducing the supply of illegal drugs.

 
• Communities - reducing drug-related crime and its impact on communities
   

• Treatment and harm minimisation - reducing drug use and drug-related offending through treatment and support. Reducing drug-related death through harm minimisation.

The updated strategy sets out a range of policies and interventions which concentrate on the most dangerous drugs, the most damaged communities and the individuals whose addiction and chaotic lifestyles are most harmful, both to themselves and others.

By working together and focusing on the drugs that cause the most harm the strategy will:

•  prevent young people from using drugs by maintaining prohibition which deters use and by providing education and support: targeting action on the most dangerous drugs and patterns of drug use and the most vulnerable young people;
   

• reduce the prevalence of drugs on our streets: tackling supply at all levels from international traffickers, to regional drug barons and street dealers, with an increased emphasis on intelligence sharing and effective policing and confiscating the proceeds of drug trafficking;
   

•  reduce drug-related crime: providing support to drug misusers and communities most in danger of being destroyed by drugs; working together to create stable, secure, crime-free lives and  neighbourhoods; and taking every opportunity within the criminal justice system and within the community to refer people into treatment;
   

• reduce the demand for drugs by reducing the number of problematic drug users – those individuals who already have serious drug problems: providing effective treatment and rehabilitation to break the cycle of addiction whilst minimising the harm drugs can cause.

The updated drug strategy emphasises that genuine collaboration across Government is the driving force behind this strategy. The role of individual departments, agencies and the voluntary and private sectors is to contribute to the overall vision and aims, in addition to their own specific tasks.

Nationally  

The Home Office drives delivery of the Drug Strategy at Ministerial and official level, in partnership with the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Skills, HM Customs and Excise, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Performance against targets is regularly monitored in formal reviews between the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State at official level.

There are a number of Public Service Agreement targets related to each element of the drug strategy http://www.drugs.gov.uk/NationalStrategy/PublicServiceAgreements

The National Treatment Agency (NTA) is responsible for the treatment target of the drug strategy. It is a special health authority established to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of drug treatment in England by:

·         improving the commissioning of drug treatment services

·         promoting evidence-based and co-ordinated practice

·         improving the performance of drug treatment commissioners and practitioners.

The treatment targets are to double the number of people in treatment from 100,000 in 1998 to 200,000 in 2008, and to increase the proportion successfully completing or appropriately continuing treatment, year on year. The NTA also impacts on the other elements of the drug strategy, such as protecting communities from drug-related crime.  http://www.nta.nhs.uk/

Regionally  

Drug Teams in the Government Offices, formerly the Drug prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) and the NTA monitor the effectiveness of local delivery by Drug Action Team’s (DAT’s) through support and advice to ensure consistency of approach and high quality provision.

Directory of Government Office Drug Team’s http://www.drugs.gov.uk/Links/UKGovernment/GovernmentDepartments/GovernmentOfficesfortheRegions

Locally

Drug Action Teams (DATs) are the bodies charged with local delivery of the strategy. They comprise senior representatives from local agencies including health authorities, education, social services, housing, police, prisons and probation. All teams are headed by a DAT Chair and most DAT’s have a co-ordinator. DAT’s may also choose to include alcohol and solvent abuse in their remit. 

http://www.drugs.gov.uk/Directory

DATs are co-terminus with local authority boundaries and are developing closer working relationships with local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, in some case resulting in merger.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/guidance_on_checklist.PDF http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/integration

The Government through the Government Office Drug Teams works in partnership with DAT’s, CDRP’s and local agencies to develop and strengthen capacity to deliver, focusing in particular on supporting the accelerated roll out of interventions in areas with the greatest drug problems, to ensure effective delivery.

Key documents

The following links are to key documents that explain the national drugs strategy, the progress being made, and future plans.

The National Drug Strategy

Updated Drug Strategy 2002 - What's new? 

Updated Drug Strategy 2002 - Executive summary

Updated Drug Strategy 2002 (full version)

Original drug strategies: -

Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain
http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm39/3945/3945.htm

Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library/documents-w7/tdis-00.htm

Tackling Substance Misuse in W ales: A Partnership Approach
http://www.emcdda.eu.int/multimedia/project_reports/policy_law/wales_strategy.pdf

Drug Strategy for Northern Ireland
http://www.nics.gov.uk/drugs/pubs/strat.pdf