Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives - University of Stirling · 78820-COI-Changing Lives 23/11/04 9:48 am Page 4. 5 What next: where we aim to be by 2008 We want the people of this country

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesKeeping Communities Safe from Drugs

Drug Strategy Progress Report 2004

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CONTENTS

3. Summary

8. Reducing availability: putting drug dealers out of business

11. Preventing people from using drugs

14. Reducing and rehabilitating existing users

17. Out of crime, into treatment

20. Targets and resources

21. What next?

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The Government’s Drug Strategy, established in 1998and updated in 2002, sets out the range of policiesand interventions to reduce the harm caused byillegal drugs by 2008.This cross-Government reportsummarises the progress to date and futureplanned action.

The Government is committed to reducing the harmcaused by drug misuse throughout the UK. In areaswhere responsibility has been devolved, it recognisesthe powers of devolved administrations to address theproblems of drug misuse as they see fit. Accordinglythe data used in this report primarily reflects theposition in England.

The respective strategies in Wales, Scotland andNorthern Ireland are:

● Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A PartnershipApproach

● Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership

● Drug Strategy for Northern Ireland


The Challenge – globally and withincommunities

“Illicit drugs have profound effects on individuals andsocieties worldwide … illicit drug markets know no bordersand their trans-national nature puts them beyond the reachof any single government.” (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2004 WorldDrug Report)

The misery caused by drug misuse must never beunderestimated. It damages the health and ruins the livesof individuals; it undermines family life; it turns law-abidingcitizens into thieves, including from their own parents andwider family. The costs to society are enormous. Tacklingdrug misuse is both a challenge worldwide and at a localcommunity level. It is a complex problem and requiresintegrated solutions and co-ordinated delivery of servicesinvolving education, health and social care, intelligence andenforcement, and economic policy.

Where we were: what we have done

Reducing the harms caused by illegal drugs is one of theGovernment’s top priorities. In 1998, the Governmentintroduced the first cross-cutting strategy to tackle drugs inan integrated way. In December 2002 we published theUpdated Drug Strategy. Building on the foundations laid andlessons learnt, the Updated Drug Strategy 2002 set outaction to tackle drug misuse – recognising the inherentcomplexities of the challenge.

Since 1998 consistent and focused action has beenundertaken to tackle drug misuse. We have alreadyadvanced far beyond a time when there was little or nodrugs education in schools, a lack of accessible and credibleadvice, limited treatment provision and long waiting times.Backed by unparalleled investment since 1998:

● Substantial quantities of heroin and cocaine,destined for the UK market, are successfully beingtaken out and organised crime groups disrupted.Between April 2002 and December 2003, 26,079 kgs ofcocaine and 11,044 kgs of heroin were seized and over330 organised crime groups disrupted. Working withcolleagues overseas, UK enforcement agencies havecombined disruption activity in the key source countriesand transit regions with action in the UK.

● We are bearing down on the criminals who do notrecognise national boundaries, through thepartnerships we have established with our internationaland European counterparts. To support that, we are usingthe combined strength of Europe: through Europol andEUROJUST; through new European instruments to agreepan-European minimum penalties for drug trafficking; tofacilitate action against money laundering; to supportjoint investigation teams and mutual legal assistance;through joint customs operations and maritime co-operation. We are also bearing down on the dealersoperating at a regional level in the UK, as we havestrengthened our cross-boundary middle marketenforcement capacity.

● Enforcement powers to tackle drug dealing havebeen strengthened. Around 150 crack houses wereclosed between January and September 2004. Newpowers, to tackle anti-social behaviour and close crackhouses, are enabling the police to better focus on thedealers and drug users whose actions devastate theirown lives and those of their families and communities.Strengthened powers to confiscate assets and seizestreet cash are depriving criminals of their financiallifeblood. £84 million has been seized since 30December 2002. Recovered assets are being pumpedback into communities who are victims of crime, as wellas being used by law enforcement agencies to trackdown and recover more criminal money.

● Class A drug use by young people has been stableover the last seven years. Educational programmes inschools and the ground-breaking FRANK informationcampaign have succeeded in reaching many more youngpeople. FRANK now provides a credible source of advicefor drug users, worried parents and carers. Since May2003, the website has received over 3.5 million visits andthe helpline over 657,000 telephone calls. Programmes,such as Positive Futures, are equipping young peoplewith healthy alternatives to drug misuse. More than50,000 young people have participated in PositiveFutures since the programme began in 2000.

● Over fifty thousand more people are in drugtreatment. The drug treatment workforce has expandedto 9,000 – an increase of 50% since 2002 – and waitingtimes are at their lowest level ever.

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Summary


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● Crime, and the fear of crime, have fallen substantially.Between April 2003 and June 2004, there was a fall, inEngland and Wales, of 12.9% in recorded acquisitivecrime, to which drug-related crime makes a significant contribution. The Drug InterventionsProgramme, formerly known as the Criminal JusticeInterventions Programme, has begun to provide a routeout of crime and into treatment for the chaotic drugusers who are responsible for most volume crime. Withend-to-end case management a key feature of theprogramme, we are also addressing the associatedissues – such as housing, education, employment andsocial needs – that many drug-misusing offenders needto resolve if they are to fully realise the benefits oftreatment. Between April 2003 and September 2004,some 8,000 drug-misusing offenders entered treatmentspecifically through the Drug Interventions Programme.

This has resulted from much more effective and joined updelivery.

● At a national level, tackling drugs is a top priority forthis Government. The Prime Minister and theMinisterial Sub-Committee on Drugs, chaired by theHome Secretary, carry out regular assessments ofprogress against the Action against Illegal Drugs PublicService Agreements. Ministers, supported by a seniorofficial cross-Government group, actively driveperformance, identifying key risks to delivery and puttingin place action to address them. All of this is done inconsultation with frontline personnel.

● Real strides have been made in the local delivery ofthe Drug Strategy. We have introduced a new drugsPerformance Management Framework and have madethe 149 Drug Action Teams at a local level directlyaccountable for delivery. This has been underpinned byongoing work by the National Treatment Agency and thenewly enhanced role we have agreed for the nineGovernment Offices in the performance managementof local partnerships working across the crime anddrugs agenda.

● We have streamlined funding for both young peopleand treatment and are on track to implement the newSafer and Stronger Communities Fund, delivering simplifiedprocesses and reduced burdens on local partnerships.

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

Apr-Jun01

Jul-Sep01

Oct-Dec01

Jan-Mar02

Apr-Jun02

Jul-Sep02

Oct-Dec02

Jan-Mar03

Apr-Jun03

Jul-Sep03

Oct-Dec03

Jan-Mar04

Apr-Jun04

enhanced phase 1 enhanced phase 2 Non-enhanced

Drug Interventions Programme

Ind

ex (

Ap

r-Ju

n 0

1=10

0)

Crime is falling

Trends in recorded acquisitive crime


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What next: where we aim to be by 2008

We want the people of this country to have seen a furthersustained reduction in the harms caused by illegal drugs.This means safer communities with fewer crimes, fewerlives destroyed by drug misuse, more young people,especially the most vulnerable, achieving their full potentialfree from drugs, with effective treatment available promptlyto all who need it.

In order to succeed, we must continue to:

● Reduce availability – putting drug dealers out ofbusiness: by helping source countries tackle production,taking action to disrupt international traffickers, regionaldrug barons and local street dealers. There will be anincreased emphasis on joint working betweenenforcement agencies, intelligence development andsharing, effective policing and confiscating the proceedsof drug dealing.

● Preventing people from using drugs: stopping youngpeople and others from taking drugs, through a range ofmeasures including prohibition, education, support andtargeted interventions for them and their families. Inparticular, help will be made available early for thoseyoung people most at risk of developing long-termdrug misuse.

● Reduce and rehabilitate existing users: focussing onthose who have the most serious problems, prompt,effective treatment, aftercare support and rehabilitationwill be made available to break the cycle of addictionwhilst minimising the harm drugs cause.

● Out of crime, into treatment: using every opportunitywithin the Criminal Justice System and within thecommunity, to provide those committing crimes tofinance their habit with treatment and rehabilitation,reducing the damage caused to communities throughdrug-related crime.

Building on the significant progress already made, wewill continue to implement the policies andinterventions set out in the Updated Drug Strategy2002. In addition, we will:

● further extend the Drug Interventions Programme toaround 30 more areas from April 2005;

● introduce legislation to help steer more of those whocommit crime to finance their drug addiction intotreatment and away from a life of crime;

● introduce legislation to provide tougher powers forthe police and the courts in tackling drug dealers sothat more of them will be brought to justice;

Drug StrategyApril 1998

Updated DrugStrategyDec 2002

Drug InterventionsProgramme:April 2003

1998 2000 2001/02

Year

2002/03 2003/040

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

%

Fear of crime is falling

Trend in the percentage of people perceiving very or fairly big problems with drug use dealing


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● launch a three month enforcement campaign early inJanuary 2005 focussing on crack house closures andassociated gun crime;

● enhance our programme of prevention andeducation for all young people and expand theroutes into support and treatment services for themost vulnerable;

● further expand the provision of treatment, includingprison treatment and improve its quality andeffectiveness.

The following sections of this report set out in more detailthe considerable progress already made and what more weare doing to make a real impact on the ground.

Tina started taking heroin in her early 20s, and used itfor ten years. For seven of these she used crack aswell, four years of which she terms as ‘excessive use’.Her use was funded mainly by begging, but also byshoplifting and fraud. At its worst her habit wascosting in excess of £160 per day.

After a while she became depressed and sought helpfor her depression, but her drug use went untreated.This was mainly because she did not like the regimeof a number of agencies she tried, or she felt that she

was not getting enough of the substitute drugs. Sheattended a group which allowed attendance whilststill using drugs. Run with clear boundaries, thisallowed Tina to reflect on her use and to considerdifferent treatment options. She was successful bybeing prescribed substitute drugs and by attending aRelapse Prevention Group. She has been off drugssince March 2002 and works closely with nationalagencies giving advice, from a drug and service user’sperspective, to inform their policy and practice.

Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives


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Reducing the harms caused by illegal drugs

1998 2004 2008

● No grip on drug-usingoffenders

● 15,090 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders(DTTOs) made between January 2003 andSeptember 2004

● Drug Interventions Programme in place in66 high crime areas with:– 5,000 offenders being tested each

month for Class A drugs – Nearly 1,500 offenders a month

entering treatment

● Around 1,000 drug-misusingoffenders entering treatmenteach week

● An estimated 100,000contacts made with drugtreatment services, with longwaiting times for access tostructured care

● 54% increase in the numbers in treatment● Waiting times at their lowest ever● 9,000 strong workforce – ahead of target

● Double the number of drug misusersin contact with drug treatmentservices and to increase year on yearthe number successfully sustaining orcompleting treatment, with accesswithin 24 hours for the most seriouscases

● Lack of quality drugeducation

● Drug Education part of the NationalCurriculum, supported by a certificate forteachers and the Healthy Schoolsprogramme

● FRANK information campaign launchedproviding credible advice to young peopleand their families

● Early interventions, such as PositiveFutures, for young people most at risk.50,000 young people involved sinceprogramme began in 2002

● Every child receives the help andsupport they need to not take drugs

● Enforcement activity showslittle impact on drugs in ourcommunities

● Revised supply strategy in place focussingon activities, internationally as well aslocally, which will impact on our streets

● Between April 2002 and December 2003,26,079 kgs of cocaine and 11,044 kgs ofheroin were seized and over 330 organisedcrime groups disrupted

● New powers to close crack houses within48 hours and to seize assets. 150 crackhouses closed January to September2004. £84 million worth of assets seizedsince 30 December 2002

● Increased capacity to target regionaldealers

● Evidence of reduced availability ofdrugs on our streets


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Key achievements

✔ Continued action against drug traffickers. In the firstnine months of 2003/4 enforcement agencies disrupted121 organisations responsible for supplying substantialamounts of Class A drugs. They also seized 18,456 kg ofheroin and cocaine targeted at the UK.

✔ Tackling the supply of illegal drugs at source and intransit countries. In Latin America and the Caribbean,we work very closely with the law enforcement agenciesto target those gangs involved in the trafficking ofcocaine. We also offer extensive training, mentoring andother support to help those countries improve their ownlaw enforcement capacity. We actively encourage theirgovernments to pass the right laws and increase theirown investment, for example in the police and customs,in order to make the environment for criminal gangs asinhospitable as possible. The UK has committed morethan £70 million over three years towards activities linkedto the Afghan Drug Control Strategy, in addition tosignificant development funding and support foralternative livelihoods. Heroin produced in Afghanistanpasses through a large number of countries before itreaches the UK.

We work very closely with each of those countries,notably Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the Balkans, to helpbuild up their capacity to interdict the shipments andtarget those gangs responsible.

✔ Strengthened powers to investigate and confiscatecriminal proceeds from drug dealing. Since 30 December 2002, £84 million has been seized,representing a huge loss of working capital for drugtraffickers.

✔ Increasing the capacity of police forces to deal withregional drug dealers, with the result that dealersoperating across force boundaries are brought to justice.Cross-boundary enforcement capacity has beenstrengthened in South Wales, London, Merseyside, the Midlands, the North East and Bristol.

✔ Using new powers introduced in the Anti-SocialBehaviour Act 2003. Around 150 crack houses wereclosed in the nine months between January andSeptember 2004.

The availability of drugs and drug dealing on ourstreets is often accompanied by violence, disruption,harassment and intimidation within the communitieswhere it takes place. It can seriously damage thequality of life in some of our most deprivedcommunities. Ready availability makes it easier foryoung people to develop into problematic drug users,and harder for ex-drug users to stay clean.

It also sustains problematic drug users, who in turndamage themselves, their families and theircommunities, as well as society more widely.TheGovernment’s action to reduce the supply of drugs istherefore directed to generate a sustained impact onthe supply of Class A drugs to the UK, and availabilitywithin its communities.

Reducing availability:putting drug dealers out of business


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✔ Tackling gun crime. Not all gun crime is drug related andnot all drug crime involves firearms. But firearms areused in turf wars between gangs who often deal drugs,and to enforce payment. Hence the emphasis we placeon tackling serious and organised crime, including theplanned establishment of the Serious Organised CrimeAgency and the creation of specialist teams andoperations by Police Forces. Operation Trident in Londonis an excellent example of what is being achieved. OurConnected Fund supports many initiatives across thecountry to turn young people away from gangs, as wellas local initiatives through Drug Action Teams.

✔ Focusing efforts against Class A drugs byreclassifying cannabis. Arrests for cannabis possessionhave fallen by 30% since reclassification, enabling policetime to be released to deal with Class A drugs.

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesOperation Cape focussed on a specific area of Leedswhere a network of dealers was operating an opendrugs market.This had brought large numbers of drugmis-users into the area, and with it a high rate ofacquisitive crime and disproportionate levels of anti-social behaviour. Despite numerous policeoperations, little impact had been made.The area wasplagued by increasing numbers of aggressive andabusive groups of young males, a number of whomwere reported as carrying firearms.

The whole area had become a dangerous and highlyunpleasant place to live and very difficult to police.West Yorkshire Police, working closely with Leeds CityCouncil, used a combination of Anti-Social Behaviour

Orders (65 were obtained) and drug dealing laws totackle the problem.The operation gave rise tosignificant reductions in crime:

● 52% reduction in robbery● 33% reduction in burglary● 22% reduction in vehicle crime● 23% reduction in overall crime

Most significant were the reported improvements incommunity cohesion, and the beginning of a returnto ‘normal life’ for the residents within the area.Environmental services and other communityagencies responded quickly to the changes,encouraging local groups to participate in therebuilding of the community.


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Future actions

● Creation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.We will become better organised, more sophisticatedand more technologically capable than the criminals.We must not just keep pace; we have to get ahead ofthem. We will introduce new powers to better disruptorganised crime activity and convict those responsible.We are also bringing together into a single, powerfulnew body – the Serious Organised Crime Agency – thepreviously separate work of the National Crime Squad,the National Criminal Intelligence Service, and thedrugs enforcement arm of HM Customs and Excise.

● A street level up approach. Initially in four pilot areas,this approach will target enforcement activity againstthe whole drug supply chain in each area from streetlevel to importation and international supply. The focuswill be on identifying enforcement approaches andways of working that will have the most impact onparticular local communities.

● Tightening of the law. We are taking powers toensure that drug dealers who swallow or concealdrugs to avoid detection do not slip through the net,and to require convicted drug dealers to report theirfinancial dealings for a period of up to ten years.

● Closing drug dens and crack houses. A three monthnationwide enforcement campaign will begin inJanuary 2005. The police will use the new powersintroduced in the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 toclose drug dens and crack houses, target dealers andseize assets and firearms.

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesA pioneering new unit was launched on 9 November2004 to tackle the supply of Class A drugs byorganised criminal networks in London.The unit aimsto smash the links between suppliers and dealers.

A 70-strong team of officers from the MetropolitanPolice, HM Customs and Excise, National CriminalIntelligence Service and City of London police hasformed the Middle Market Drugs Project to tacklethese wholesale dealers.

The unit has already achieved excellent results duringa two month transition period. In these two months,it is estimated that the Middle Market Drugs Projecthas stopped the equivalent of 200,070 Class A deals

reaching the streets of London. (This figure is basedon the total number of seizures made by the unit andeach deal being one gram.) So far the Middle MarketDrugs Project has seized:

● 96.5 kg of cocaine, with an estimated street valueof £9,039,040

● 1 kg of crack cocaine, with an estimated streetvalue of £71,250

● 4 kg of heroin, with a street value of £176,000● 50 kilos of cannabis, with a street value of £200,000● £35,000 in cash● A total of 25 people have been arrested and charged

with various drug trafficking-related offences andoffences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.


Preventing today’s young people, especially the mostvulnerable, from becoming tomorrow’s drug misusers isa key target within the Government’s Drug Strategy. Ifwe are to be effective in helping young people avoiddrug problems, and reach the five outcomes forwellbeing outlined in Every Child Matters, we need anew approach.We need to ensure that effectiveuniversal services are provided and focus on earlyintervention and support for the key risk groups – thechildren of drug-misusing parents; school excludees andtruants; young people who are looked after by socialservices; and young offenders.This means not onlydeveloping specialist drugs provision but ensuring thatgeneric children and young people’s services are fully

committed to identifying and intervening, in order totackle drug misuse problems before they become acute.

Most young people do not use illegal drugs. Seriousdrug use by young people has been stabilised afteryears in which it had steadily increased.This isencouraging, but a real downward shift has still to be achieved. Early substance misuse interventions are strongly embedded as a core priority in the work of Youth Offending Teams.We need to build on this to improve the provision of early intervention throughthe Change for Children programme so thatmainstream agencies can do more to prevent drug misuse earlier on.

Preventing people from using drugs

Key achievements

✔ Use of the most serious drugs by all young peoplehas been stable since 1998, following sustainedincreases in the early 1990s. The use of ecstasy,amphetamines and LSD has recently decreased.There are early indications of a fall in the use ofcannabis by 16-25 year olds.

✔ Launch of FRANK, providing better information aboutdrugs to young people and their families. Since May2003, the website has received over 3.5 million visits,and the helpline, over 657,000 telephone calls.Awareness of FRANK among young people is extremelyhigh at 83%. Satisfaction with the FRANK campaignstands at 92% among stakeholders.

✔ Improved drugs education programmes in place inschools as part of the National Curriculum, supported bycomprehensive guidance for schools; and the Personal,Social and Health Education Certificate for teachers fromwhich up to 3,000 teachers will benefit this year and next.

✔ Blueprint, the biggest drug education researchprogramme ever run in this country, is finding out whatworks in educating 11-13 year olds about drugs.

✔ More than 50,000 young people have participated inPositive Futures projects since the start of theprogramme in 2000.

✔ Better support for young people at risk of gettinginvolved in serious drug use, including more specialistdrug workers in the youth justice system.

✔ £18 million in 2004/05 being made available to DrugAction Teams specifically for young people’s drugtreatment, as part of the Young People SubstanceMisuse Grant.

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Future actions

● Improved identification and assessment of childrenand young people’s substance misuse relatedneeds, especially for young people in known riskgroups (such as looked after children, truants, schoolexcludees, young offenders and the children of thosewho misuse substances). Where they need it, they willreceive rapid access to appropriate support.

● We will increase services to vulnerable youngpeople at risk of getting involved in drug misuse,including programmes like Positive Futures, whichuses sports and the arts to engage young people. Theforthcoming Youth Green paper will set out theGovernment’s plans for improving the opportunitiesand support available to young people.

● Support all schools in the most disadvantagedareas to become a Healthy School by 2006 and allschools by 2009/10. Criteria include all schools tohave a drug prevention policy, and member of staff andgovernor for drug education.

● Through schools and building on the success ofFRANK, we will do more to provide informationabout drugs to young people, including youngerteenagers. We will also do more to provide parentswith information they can trust about drugs.

● People working with children and young peoplewill be expected to gain the skills they need toidentify drug problems early, alongside other riskfactors, as part of their core professional training.

● We will provide extra support in the areas ofhighest need, so that local communities andagencies working together can go faster and further.Our ambition is to double the number ofvulnerable young people supported.


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Vision for young people and their families

The joint vision of the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the Department of Health is oflocal and targeted services for young people that will prevent the harms associated with drugs and ensure thatall young people have the opportunity to reach their potential.To deliver this vision, services need to identify allvulnerable young people at risk of becoming involved in serious drug misuse and provide early support to themand their families.

Objectives:

Pathway:

Services:

Reductionof

underlyingrisk

factors

Re-inforcedattitudes.Delayedonset

Reducedharm

Greatersocial

engagementby riskgroups

Earlieridentification/intervention

Specialistmedical/socialinterventionin complex

cases

Successfulreintegrationin community

Parent/family

support

Sure Startetc.

SchoolsConnexions

FRANKHealth

services

HousingEmployment

TrainingEducation

Drugsservice

providers

SSDsYOTs/DIP* EducationsupportHealth

settings

PositiveFutures

etc.

Drugseducation

adviceawareness

Socialinclusion

programmes

Interventionwith riskgroups

Specialisttreatment

Community-based

support

Reductionin

prevalence

LEAD PROFESSIONAL CASE MANAGER

Tackling drugs from early years to adulthood

Reductionin adult problem

drug userpopulation

*SSD – Social Services Department YOT – Youth Offending Teams DIP – Drug Interventions Programme

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesThere is a history of substance misuse in 17 year oldNeil’s family. His grandparents referred him toPositive Futures after a meeting at a boxing event.Although he was not actually using drugs himself,his family had previously had contact with NORCAS,the local Substance Misuse Agency, and Neil wasdeemed to be ‘at risk’.

Neil initially was very quiet and withdrawn andlacked confidence and self-esteem. Positive Futuresstaff took him to the local boxing club, as he hadalways been interested in the sport. Neil had anatural talent for boxing and enjoyed the sessions atthe club.With constant encouragement he joined theclub and after training hard for three months, hecompeted in six bouts, winning three of them.

Neil wanted to help train younger members of theclub. Positive Futures arranged for him to join theMillennium Volunteer Scheme and helped the boxingclub put him through first-aid and child protectiontraining.When he is 18, Neil will be able to take hisAmateur Boxing Association Assistant CoachQualification. In recognition of his outstandingvoluntary work, the County’s Clubs for Young Peopleawarded him a bursary of £200.

Neil has now left school and has enrolled at college.He is re-taking his English GCSE and hopes to pursuetheatre studies. In the meantime, he is continuing hisvoluntary training at the boxing club and PositiveFutures is arranging for him to be paid through a localYouth Volunteer Initiative.


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Treatment works. Effective treatment helps individualdrug misusers escape from addiction and crime, andimproves their health and their lives. Effectivetreatment helps communities as the link between drugmisuse and offending is broken and fewer crimes arecommitted. Effective treatment helps society as thecosts of drug misuse are reduced.

Key achievements

✔ 54% more drug users in treatment than in 1998.

✔ Waiting times down by 72% compared to 2001.Average waiting times currently 2–4 weeks, and less inthe highest crime areas, compared to 6–12 weeks threeyears ago.

✔ 9,000 strong drug treatment workforce, up 50% since2002, with delivery of dedicated substance misusetraining for general practitioners and the development ofa support network for addiction psychiatry specialists.

✔ Government commitment to make heroin prescribingmore consistent across the country through guidance bythe National Treatment Agency (NTA). On track tocommence three heroin prescribing pilots by the endof 2004.

✔ Better and more accessible treatment for crackcocaine users as a result of improved guidance,dedicated training and the promotion of good practice.

✔ Drug treatment services available in all prisons.The Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice andThroughcare service provides treatment services toprisoners and manages further interventions in custody.They are the key link for case management teamsoperating across the Criminal Justice System. DrugRehabilitation Programmes provide a total of 77programmes, including an innovative high intensity shortduration programme, across the prison estate. Thisnumber will rise to 117 by March 2006.

✔ Drug related deaths down by 4% between 2001 and2002 (the latest data available) and now at their lowestlevel since 1998.

Reducing and rehabilitating existing users


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Future actions● Continued expansion of drug treatment services so we

can further increase capacity and double the number ofproblem drug users in treatment by 2008.

● Continued investment in drug treatment services,including the treatment of offenders with drug misuseproblems.

● Concentration on the 50,000 hardest to engage drugusers, many of whom also have mental healthproblems. Strong links with the Government’s Prolific andother Priority Offenders programme focussed on the 5,000most prolific criminals nationwide – many of whom aredrug misusers.

● Expanding and improving treatment for young peopleand for parents with substance misuse problems.

● Improving access to treatment for particularly hard toreach groups. For example, by ensuring homeless peoplecan access and sustain treatment through better alignmentof treatment plans with homelessness strategies.

● Delivering the shared Prison Service and Departmentof Health vision for more effective prison treatmentservices so that 78,000 prisoners receive effectivetreatment services based on NTA Models of Care by 2008.

● Enhancing the quality of treatment by:– improved and expanded case management of drug

misusers, including support with housing, finance,new skills and job opportunities.

– meeting the needs of women and black and minorityethnic users with far stronger community involvement.

● Improving the effectiveness of drug treatment so that,year on year, the proportion of users successfullysustaining or completing treatment increases.TheDepartment of Health and the NTA have developed a workprogramme to improve the effectiveness of drugtreatment. The programme is based on evidence whichshows that those problem drug users who completetreatment programmes, or are retained in treatment formore than 12 weeks, have increased chances ofsuccessful outcomes.

● Close monitoring of the delivery of targets andquality standards by the NTA working in partnershipwith the Healthcare Commission.

Waiting times are at their lowest level ever

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

ResidentialRehabilitation

(3)

In-patientdetoxification

(2)

DayCare(3)

StructuredCounselling

(2)

GPPrescribing

(2)

SpecialistPrescribing

(3)

2002/03 2003/04: latest data

Wee

ks


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Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives

Abdul started to work in a restaurant where he

met a heroin user and started to use heroin.

He left home and lived on the street for a while.

Found by his parents he was taken home but his

parents had no idea where to seek help. He left

home again, this time moving into a hostel.The

hostel referred him to the local community drugs

team. He had problems making himself

understood so the drug team referred him to

Nafas, a specialist Bangladeshi drug project.

He is progressing well on a 12 week programme

and is now on a substitute drug. Nafas are also

helping him with English classes which will help

him to further establish his life in the local

community.


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Nothing harms communities more than drug misuse,drug-related crime and the fear of such crime.The linkbetween drug misuse and crime is particularly strongfor users of heroin and crack cocaine, who account forvery high proportions of all burglary, robbery and theft.

The Government’s Drug Interventions Programme,formerly known as the Criminal Justice InterventionsProgramme, is at the heart of delivering reductions indrug-related crime. It takes advantage of everyopportunity in the Criminal Justice System to directdrug-misusing offenders out of crime and intotreatment.

Out of crime, into treatment

Key achievements

✔ The intensive Drug Interventions Programme isnow in place in 66 areas with highest levels of drug-related crime.

✔ In these areas, numbers entering treatment are risingfast. Over 1,400 offenders entered treatment inSeptember 2004 – substantially ahead of the aim of1,250 a month by March 2005. Waiting times fortreatment have fallen significantly and are ahead ofnational targets.

✔ Acquisitive crime is now falling faster in the areaswhere the programme is operating compared withthe rest of the country.

✔ Drug testing is now in place in these areas. BetweenApril and September 2004, nearly 5,000 drug tests werecompleted each month on people charged with a triggeroffence (the offences most closely associated with drug-related crime).

✔ Arrest referral available across all police force areas inEngland and Wales. Under the Drug InterventionsProgramme, arrest referral has become part of theintegrated package of interventions.

✔ 289 people bailed with Restrictions on Bail in firstfive months of pilot.

✔ Testing on charge and arrest referral for young people(14-17 year olds) with dedicated wraparound servicesbeing piloted in ten of the intensive programme areasfrom August 2004.

✔ Almost 26,000 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders(DTTOs) have been commenced in England andWales to September 2004, since they were firstintroduced. A completion target has been introduced thisyear, as one of the range of measures to improve DTTOretention.

✔ Throughcare and Aftercare now being implementedacross England and Wales.


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Future actions

● Further expansion of the intensive Drug InterventionsProgramme to around 30 more areas from April 2005.

● Restriction on Bail.The current scheme will beextended to around 39 new areas by April 2005, with10 going live in January 2005.

● New legislation to require drug testing on arrestand require drug assessments for those whotest positive.

● Introduction of a new civil order that will runalongside Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) foradults to tackle drug issues.

● Further increases in the size and skills of the drugtreatment workforce to cope with demand.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Mar

–05

Feb–0

5

Jan–0

5

Dec–0

4

Nov–04

Oct–04

Sep–0

4

Aug–04

Jul–0

4

Jun–0

4

May

–04

Apr-04

Mar

-04

Number of drug-misusing offenders entering treatment each month (Phase 1 &2)

Actual Planned

Nu

mb

ers

into

tre

atm

ent

each

mo

nth

● Further increases in the numbers entering treatmentwith the aim of reaching 1,000drug-misusing offenders a week by 2008.

● Launch of five pilots in December 2004 requiringyoung offenders to attend drug treatment as partof a community sentence.

● Develop a co-ordinated strategy to tackle theissues arising from prostitution and the links withdrugs. 90% of street prostitutes use Class A drugsand prostitution is linked with drug dealers andorganised crime.

The number of drug-misusing offenders entering treatment is rising fast


19

The Drug Interventions Programmecomprises the following:

● Conditional cautioning targets offenders who admita first-time minor offence. A caution can be issuedwith a condition conducive to restoration orrehabilitation. In the context of the Drug InterventionsProgramme this will normally be a referral intotreatment, and the offender may be prosecuted if thecondition is not met.

● Throughcare is concerned with ensuring thatcontinuous care is provided to a drug misuser from thepoint of arrest through to sentence and beyond.Delivery is through Criminal Justice Integrated Teams(CJITs) who manage individual cases to offer/ensureaccess to treatment and support.

● Prolific Offenders – The Drug InterventionsProgramme is working collaboratively with the Prolificand other Priority Offenders Implementation Team toreduce crime amongst the 5,000 prolific criminalsidentified as causing the most harm to theircommunities. The Drug Interventions Programme willplay a key role in dealing with the drug treatmentneeds of this group of offenders.

● Drug testing – Offenders charged with a triggeroffence (property crime, robbery, begging and Class Aoffences) can be required to produce an oral fluidsample for a drug test, checking for use of heroin andcrack cocaine. The results can be used to inform bailand sentencing decisions at court. Following a positivetest result, an offender is given an opportunity to see aspecialist drugs worker as part of a case managementapproach that bridges the gap between referral andentry into treatment.

● Restrictions on Bail. Access to court bail may bewithdrawn if defendants refuse a drugs assessmentand any recommended follow-up treatment aftertesting positive for the use of heroin, cocaine or crack.

● Community sentencing, currently a stand alonecommunity sentence called the Drug Treatment andTesting Order (DTTO), will be replaced with acommunity order, more closely tailored to meet thetreatment needs of the individual offender. It obligesthe offender to undergo treatment for a set period andrequires regular drug testing and court reviews tomonitor progress.

● Prison drug treatment. A key element in providingtreatment and services in custody, as well as links tothe case management teams in the community. Drugtreatment includes: clinical services (which includedetoxification and some maintenance programmes)available in all local and remand establishments; andCounselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice andThroughcare service (CARATs), available in allestablishments.

● Aftercare is the package of support that needs to be inplace after a drug misusing offender reaches the end ofa prison-based treatment programme, completes acommunity sentence or leaves treatment. It is not onesimple discrete process involving only treatment butincludes access to additional support with issues suchas housing, managing finance, family issues, learningnew skills and employment.

● In conjunction with the Youth Justice Board, we arealso developing a range of targeted interventions foryoung people who are in contact with the CriminalJustice System. The range includes arrest referral(assessing the needs of young arrestees and directingthem to appropriate support and treatment services),drug testing on charge, a named substance misuseworker in each Youth Offending Team, drug treatmentand testing as part of a community sentence, drugtreatment programmes in the secure estate and a newresettlement and aftercare programme.


20

The Government’s targets for its Drug Strategy are set outwithin its overall framework of Public Service Agreements,which show the public what they can expect fortheir money.

The Public Service Agreement targets for delivery of theDrug Strategy have a clear focus on reducing the harmcaused by illegal drugs. They are backed by clear cross-Government agreement on responsibilities for deliveringthe targets themselves.

The Drug Strategy is backed by significant Governmentinvestment. This financial year, planned direct expenditureon the Drug Strategy is £1.3 billion. In 2005/06, this willrise to nearly £1.5 billion.

The Department of Health has already announced £219million of additional funding for drug treatment, whichincludes £40 million for the clinical treatment of substancemisusers in prison. Further announcements on investmentby the Home Office over the period to 2007/08 will bemade shortly.

Targets and resources

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesKirklees Drug Action Team (DAT) covers a populationof 209,557 between the ages of 19-59.There are anestimated 3,397 problem drug users in the area.TheNational Drug Treatment Misuse System ‘census’ for2003/4 showed 1,172 in structured treatment – 35%.

The DAT has set realistic achievable targets forincreasing the numbers in treatment for 2004/5 and2005/6 and should be on track to achieve the NationalTreatment Agency (NTA) target of around 64% of drugusers in treatment by 2008. Currently an estimated50% of clients are retained in treatment for 12 weeksor more and this percentage will increase.The totaldrug funding available to the DAT for treatmentduring 2004/5 is around £3.7m. All funding via thePooled Treatment Budget and mainstream partnerinvestment is managed and operated as a virtual local‘pool’ with an effective Joint Commissioning structure

in place to plan, commission and performancemanage contracts.The partnership works well withgood engagement from statutory bodies.

All elements of the local treatment system and alsocriminal justice activity have been ‘traffic lit’ usingred, amber and green to indicate its effectivenessin delivering.

The Joint Commissioning Manager focuses ondelivery and ensures that all new Department ofHealth/NTA/Home Office initiatives are addressedand incorporated into DAT strategy.Their annualTreatment Plan has clear objectives, milestones,allocation of delivery responsibility, and costedservices.Their diversity policy ensures that theneeds of under-served groups are reflected withinservice development.

Drug Strategy Public Service Agreements (SpendingReview 2004)

● Reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs (asmeasured by the Drug Harm Index,encompassing measures of the availability ofClass A drugs and drug-related crime), includingsubstantially increasing the number of drug-misusing offenders entering treatmentthrough the Criminal Justice System.

● Increase the participation of problem drug usersin drug treatment programmes by 100% by 2008and increase year on year the proportion of userssuccessfully sustaining or completing treatmentprogrammes.

● Reduce the use of Class A drugs and the frequentuse of any illicit drug among all young peopleunder the age of 25, especially by the mostvulnerable young people.

● To have a sustained impact on the supply of ClassA drugs to the UK, and availability within itscommunities, to reduce the harm thatdrugs cause.


21

Much has been achieved in recent years as set out in thisreport. But there is more to be done if we are to succeed indelivering our vision for 2008. In summary, we will:

● Continue the real progress already made in reducingthe harm caused by illegal drugs. Strengthened bya new Public Service Agreement, delivery of this aimremains a top Government priority. Progress will bemeasured by the Drug Harm Index, which measuresa range of the key harms associated with drug misuse.The Index will be updated annually and details willbe published.

● Further extend and strengthen the DrugInterventions Programme so that more drug-misusing offenders are taken into treatment and outof crime. From April 2005, the programme will beextended to around 30 more areas. Action under theDrug Interventions Programme will be closely alignedwith the Government’s Prolific and other PriorityOffenders programme, the creation of the NationalOffenders Management Service and the Government’sreview of prostitution.

● Introduce legislation to help steer more of those whocommit crime to finance their drug addiction intotreatment and away from a life of crime. Newmeasures will include drug testing on arrest andmandatory assessments for those who test positive.

● Introduce legislation to provide tougher powers forthe police and the courts in tackling drug dealers sothat more of them will be brought to justice. Newmeasures will include powers for the police to detainthose suspected of swallowing or concealing drugs,tougher sentences for those dealing outside schools orusing children as couriers, and the requirement thatconvicted drug dealers report their financial dealings for a period of up to ten years.

● Implement a better approach to drug supply andenforcement with the aim of taking more drugs off ourstreets, including through the creation of the SeriousOrganised Crime Agency.

● Launch a three month nationwide enforcementcampaign in January 2005 focusing on drug den andcrack house closures and associated gun crime.

● Enhance our programme of prevention, so that allyoung people and their families can get advice on drugsand drug taking in a language, and via a means, thatmakes sense to them.

● Expand routes into treatment for vulnerable youngpeople, including by requiring young offenders to attenddrug treatment as part of a community sentence. Thiswill be piloted in five areas from December 2004.

● Further expand the provision of treatment andimprove its quality and effectiveness so that itsbenefits are fully realised. By 2008, we will have thecapacity to double the number of problem drug users intreatment compared to 1998.

● Link up our approach to local delivery more firmlywith our wider approach to crime and disorder.Thisincludes holding local delivery partnerships clearly toaccount for what they are expected to achieve and by when.

● Link our approach to drug prevention amongstyoung people more firmly with the reform ofchildren’s services through the Change for Childrenprogramme.

● Rationalise funding streams and reportingarrangements to further reduce the burdens ofbureaucracy on local partners and partnerships, includingin the voluntary sector.

What next?


22

Tackling Drugs. Changing LivesJim had been injecting Class A drugs for over sevenyears. A prolific offender, his offences had included107 burglaries, 12 vehicle crimes, and two offences ofhandling stolen goods. His criminal activity washaving a significant impact locally, until his arrest on2 October which resulted in a dramatic reduction inburglaries in a small geographical area. In the twoweeks before his arrest there were 16 burglariesrecorded in his locality. In the two weeks followinghis arrest there were just four.

At the time of his last arrest he needed help withbenefits, accommodation, employment options anddrug treatment. He was also estranged from his wifeand children. Jim had finally had enough of hislifestyle which included frequent prison sentences. Atimely intervention from the local Drug InterventionsProgramme Team ensured that Jim’s enthusiasm toaddress his drug problem could be capitalised on. Hewas visited in the cells after requesting help and hehas now started on a local Drug InterventionsProgramme. His principal goal is to become drug freeand to be reunited with his wife and children.

Stadium

Park

Railw

ay

Two weeks before Jim’s arrest


23

Stadium

Park

Railw

ay

Two weeks after Jim’s arrest



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78820-COI-Changing Lives 23/11/04 9:48 am Page ibc3

Further copies of this report can beobtained from prolog.uk.com

Telephone: 0870 241 4680Fax: 0870 241 4786email: [email protected]: TDMAD

For any other enquiries contact the Home Office Drugs Strategy Directorate

Telephone: 020 7273 2943Fax: 020 7273 3821email: [email protected]

78820-COI-Changing Lives 23/11/04 9:48 am Page bc4

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Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives - University of Stirling · 78820-COI-Changing Lives 23/11/04 9:48 am Page 4. 5 What next: where we aim to be by 2008 We want the people of this country