Co-ordinating action on drug supply

Locally, the Police have the primary responsibility for seeing that markets are disrupted and those involved in selling drugs are arrested and brought to justice. However the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 places a requirement for the police and Local authority to work together to tackle local crime and disorder, including for drugs, in their area. The Police Reform Act 2002 has now added targets to cover the combat of drugs misuse.

In practice the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and the Drug Action Team, which may well be fully integrated in many locations, especially Unitary authorities, should work together to tackle the supply of drugs with the police.

There are many advantages in partnership working of this type:

There is organisational and strategic ownership from those responsible for the overall direction of the local authority in all its facets

The partners involved can bring information and intelligence on the dynamics of local markets

Partners may have relevant powers that can be used to help tackle markets, places where drugs are sold, and dealers

Partners can help deliver the necessary community engagement

Action on supply by police needs to be strategically linked to such schemes as regeneration and urban renewal, or other local area initiatives