If Labour wants to reduce crime it needs to continue to invest in the drug strategy
The violence that erupted in towns across the UK over the summer and the crisis in prison capacity has added urgency to the new government’s mission to make Britain’s streets safe. One of Labour’s five core missions, the government has pledged to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls, restore confidence in the police and to reform the justice system.
The previous government commissioned Dame Carol Black to undertake an independent review of drugs. She concluded: “the drugs market is driving most of the nation’s crimes: half of all homicides and half of acquisitive crimes are linked to drugs. People with serious drug addiction occupy one in 3 prison places”. The report criticised the Conservative government’s disinvestment from treatment and recovery services in England. In response, the then government published a 10-year drug strategy, backed with investment, aiming to reduce the supply and demand for drugs and ensure the availability of high-quality treatment and support services.
Three years on things are moving in the right direction. The capacity of services has increased and the join-up across drug treatment services, police, courts, prisons and probation has improved. For example, in Leicester Turning Point outreach workers have been undertaking hot spot patrols in partnership with Leicestershire Police. An independent evaluation found the initiative has resulted in a 39% reduction in crime and disorder in the city centre.1 In many parts of the country, more people with drug or alcohol problems are being diverted from the criminal justice system into treatment; however, a recent report from the Justice and Home Affairs Committee concluded: “The need for alcohol and drug treatment far exceeds the current rate of imposition of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements”.
Investment has allowed the sector to grow the workforce, to offer improved and better-defined treatment pathways, take a more joined-up approach across different services, and increase numbers in treatment.
Across the country new clinical trainee posts have been created although developing the next generation of specialist nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists is not something that can be done overnight. At Turning Point, we have developed new specialist roles. Dedicated workers lead on prison releases, meeting prisoners with a history of substance use at the prison gate, providing immediate support to reduce the risk of re-offending on release. Advanced Recovery Practitioners are experienced members of the team with a small caseload working with some of the most complex and vulnerable individuals. Just before the general election, the government published a 10-year workforce strategy for the sector.
The journey away from drug related crime and anti-social behaviour is also something that takes time. Vicky previously slept rough in central London and has been supported by Turning Point for many years: “I started using drugs at 17, my day consisted of taking heroin, shop lifting on High Street Ken, then I’d do nightwork on the streets. My using resulted in me losing my children, going to prison…. When I went to Turning Point, the staff were like family, no one was judging. Within a few weeks I could talk about anything. That’s when my life slowly starting to pick up and become more stable. Turning Point offered me one to one counselling, they allowed me to relapse a couple times and understood that coming off the street was not easy. My key worker, Liam, is brilliant; he checks on me even now. He will call me, ask me how I’m feeling, ask me about my mental health. He also helps with my housing, he helps stuff get done, things that I need to improve my life.”
The current 3-year investment to accompany the 10 year strategy ends in March 2025. In the lead up to the general election, and since, there was little discussion of the future of the strategy and there are concerns in the sector about what this could mean for future investment.
The first 3 years of the strategy has enabled us to increase the number of treatment places and to strengthen the workforce and we are beginning to see a rise in the number of people accessing support, which is positive. However, this process will take time and short-term funding commitments make delivering sustainable support challenging.
It is vital that the new government uses the Spending Review to commit to continue to re-build the drug and alcohol treatment sector. It is only though this that it will be able to achieve it’s mission on crime and anti-social behaviour.
Clare Taylor is Chief Operating Office at Turning Point and Interim Chair of Collective Voice, the sector body representing third sector drug treatment providers