National drugs strategy reflects Warwickshire’s concerns
Recommendations from Warwickshire made to the UK government last year following the biggest ever national consultation on drug use appear to have been taken on board, with the publication of a new ten-year National Drugs Strategy.
The county’s response to the consultation, which concluded in October last year, was co-ordinated by Warwickshire County Council’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT).
The team consulted with members of the public, the police, health services, local authorities, county councillors and organisations directly involved in providing help and guidance to people with drug problems in Warwickshire.
The government wants to build on its previous ten-year drugs strategy, which it claims has reduced drug use to an 11-year low and drug-related crime by 20% in the past five years. The new National Drugs Strategy was launched by Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, last week.
The feedback from Warwickshire’s own consultation revealed that local people wanted to see a co-ordinated approach to tackling drug and alcohol misuse, with a particular emphasis on five key areas including better education, improved social care, disruption of drug supply, better information and reduced drug-related crime.
Kit Leck, Manager of Warwickshire County Council’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) said: “We’re pleased that the government’s new ten-year National Drugs Strategy appears to reflect much of the feedback that Warwickshire gave via its consultation process. For example, our calls for better family support, seizures of assets, and incentives to remain in treatment.”
Warwickshire’s response to the government called for better education and intervention for young people and families, especially those most at risk from drugs.
Launching the national strategy, Jacqui Smith said: “We want to see fewer people start using drugs and for our society to be free from the problems caused by drugs.”
She said the government would continue to “send a clear message that drug use is unacceptable.” A key proposal in the strategy is that schools will be rated by Ofsted inspectors on the effectiveness of anti-drugs lessons.
Warwickshire residents also wanted to see improved treatment, social care and support services, especially for the problem drug using population. Jacqui Smith said: “We want those who do use drugs to enter and finish treatment and move on to lead healthy, drug-free lives.”
And she said there would be more emphasis on helping families hit by addiction. The new strategy proposes that social workers intervene earlier when children are growing up around problem users.
Greater and more visible disruption of drug supply at all levels was also called for by local people in the county’s own drugs consultation. And according to the new national strategy, new deals will be sought with foreign governments to reduce trafficking.
The strategy also includes plans to extend police powers to seize dealers’ cash and assets on arrest, rather than conviction. It says: “Those who buy ‘bling’, plasma screen TVs and other household goods, to avoid circulating cash, will have their assets seized before they have a chance to disperse them.”
The new strategy will widen what can be seized and scrap the 12-year limit within which recovery proceedings must be taken. The government aims to recover £250 million a year from criminals by 2010.
Further reduced drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour were also highlighted by the Warwickshire consultation as being an important aim for any national drugs strategy. Launching the strategy, Jacqui Smith said: “We want communities to be free of drug-related crime and we want to see tough enforcement of the law.”
Kit Leck said: “This was the first real opportunity for Warwickshire to respond to the government’s drug strategy on this scale. We were delighted by both the large number and the wide range of people who contributed to this exercise.
“As well as responding to government, we are using the information gathered to develop Warwickshire’s local drug strategy.”