Assessing impact 2: How was the supply of drugs affected?

The indicators that have been traditionally used to assess success in disrupting drug markets are:

• Seizures of drugs

• Number of arrests made in the area concerned

• Number of reports of drug supply

These indicators reflect the way that Police powers have been applied and how resources have been allocated. However an increase in these measures in itself is not a full indicator of the control of supply in any given area. Seizure amounts can simply reflect the impact of one operation rather than indicate systematic market disruption.

Local Indicators of success need to be related to the multiple sources of information about markets and derived from the various agencies involved in partnership work to tackle this issue. Some of these may well include:

• The perceptions of individuals living around supply networks and locations where supply occurs. Do they feel that there has been a reduction in supply? Do they think that supply has been reduced? Have their children been approached?

• Have crimes and anti-social behaviour related to drug supply, such as disposal of drug paraphernalia and prostitution reduced?

• Have other key professionals – housing workers, town centre managers etc, experienced a reduction in incidents or reports related to supply?

• What do users think about local supply? Do they find getting access to drug harder?

There are other more subtle indicators: -

• Has their been movement of the key participants in local supply to neighbouring areas?

• Have the same places been reported for drug supply, involving different people?

Systematic attempts to gauge the success of any programme should factor in consideration of all these elements. Obtaining the views of local people is a task that not only allows the task to be assessed, but also plays a key role in making local people feel consulted and involved, and in time can help breed greater disclosure and confidence in reporting drug supply.

Methods of obtaining views can require the dedicated deployment of staff time, and can utilise a variety of media – questionnaires, public meetings, formal consultations, in fact the same methods of obtaining information on which successful action is based. In time these will form a cycle of information gathering.  

Appraising success requires investment and staff.

For comparative purpose and as a diagnostic trigger to those police forces who are not performing as strongly on supply, a suite of indicators is being developed under the Police Performance appraisal or PPAF framework.

These are currently being finalised and will then be available on the HO website.