Potential key partners
From the analysis here, some partners can be key
to working strategically alongside DATs to tackle supply on an
operational and a strategic level, and some from time to time, to
tackle specific neighbourhoods and areas. Some, although individually
concerned with specific areas and even individual streets and blocks,
are capable of operating strategically to represent a viewpoint that
is important strategically – such as residents associations or local
people, for example. To manage low-level supply the following are
essential for any partnership:
- Police within the BCU command and at the
force wide serious crime or drug team
- Local authority staff working on regeneration
strategies for whole areas
- Housing management staff
Those capable of representing the viewpoints of
local people affected by drug supply in their area
These partners could simply co-operate
informally on a case by case basis. However, for the development of
strategic, proactive, solutions to drug supply they should meet
regularly as a group. All of these organisations should be essential
members of any partnership group working together to tackle supply.
They should form the core, regular group. Others can be brought in on
a co-opted basis for the additional specific information and
contribution they bring, or for specialist knowledge (e.g. crime
mappers) and other valuable information and intelligence that can be
mapped and used for planning.
Example:
Acacia Avenue
upper school identifies that in a nearby street to their school is
a house used for drug sales and on which there are reports of
pupils entering at lunchtime and after school buying drugs.
Information is passed to the Police. The availability group
obtains confirmatory opinion through consultation with
neighbourhood watch for the area and residents groups. They
identify that the residents are tenants of the Acacia Housing
association. The association is then involved in the subsequent
planning.
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Success in tackling supply should involve the
following processes:
- Mapping patterns and types of supply
- Mapping the damage supply brings to the
neighbourhoods involved (taking into account the views of local
people) and how it impacts on other social programmes such as
regeneration
- Mapping how supply is related to other crimes
- Identifying areas where supply is so
problematic that action should be prioritised, and within these,
specific places and locations where problems are acute
- Identifying the causes of market locations
and developing programmes of action targeted at specific areas that
address these causes through supply and demand actions
- Identifying other areas at risk of developing
markets due to the presence of creative factors; setting in place
programmes to prevent their development
- Monitoring the effectiveness of actions over
time, including displacement
- Developing education programmes to maximise
community engagement in supplying information
- Managing and allocating funds, in some
circumstances (such as the Building Safer Communities fund)
Inter-agency structures of this type can be used
to advise force tasking and co-ordination, handling of hot spots and
assist with community impact assessments.
Acacia
Avenue
School:
next steps
A Police operation leading to the execution
of a search warrant, arrest and
subsequent prosecution of the tenants is backed by action by the
Housing Association to serve notice on the tenant for breach of
tenancy conditions. Surveillance identifies the house is used to
sell opiates to a large number of local heroin users. The day on
which the house is closed is identified to drug services and a
group of individuals is referred by Police to arrest referral
workers. Outreach workers are active during this period
encouraging others into contact with drug services. The sale
location is mapped, with
postcode area highlighting to show a significant number of
users in the area. This is cross-mapped against burglary and
robbery in the area.
The school devotes a specific day in
addition to its usual curricula work on drugs. A parents evening
is held at which police speak. The Acacia Housing association
includes reference to the case in its tenant newsletter and
reminds tenants that supply is a breach of tenancy conditions.
Longer term, it engages a part time tenancy support worker to work
on the estate on drug issues with identified tenants.
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Areas where supply is acute can include
residential neighbourhoods and clubs, pubs and public settings like
shopping centres and stations. This extends the range of those who may
be consulted and involved in relation to specific areas to include
such as Transport Police, shopping mall security and town centre
managers.
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