Tackling Drugs Week
COUNTYWIDE ACTION FOR NATIONAL TACKLING DRUGS WEEK
Education, treatment and enforcement continue to keep drug misuse at relatively low levels across Hertfordshire. A series of events and police raids during a national week of action in June aims to inform and remind communities across the county of the work being done to keep drugs at bay and how people can get access to help and information.
Police, councils, health services and charities work together, and in their own specialist fields, to prevent and deal with the issues around the use and availability of illegal drugs.
The on-going police campaign, Operation Crystal, involves partner agencies in the arrest of drug dealers - from street level ‘peddlers’ to importers and producers of illegal drugs. The Hertfordshire Drug Interventions Programme, along with other criminal justice agencies, provides treatment to all drug misusing offenders, and works together with police and probation officers to break the cycle of drug related crime.
Detective Superintendent Mark Drew who leads Operation Crystal, explained: “We encourage residents to help us by being eyes and ears on the streets so we can target our activity directly at dealers and producers of drugs. Our Neighbourhood Teams also work with the local authorities to evict tenants we know are using their homes as places to deal and take drugs. While this is not a common problem it can have a devastating effect of the quality of lives of the people who live around them, making the area around look and feel unsafe.
“If you suspect drug dealing or think you know a dealer call us on 0845 33 00 222. If you prefer to alert us without leaving your name, you can call Hertfordshire Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. We may not be able to act on your information right away but we can start to build the evidence we need to make arrests.”
Hertfordshire Drugs Partnership is unveiling its new strategy for tackling drugs in the county over the next three years as part of Tackling Drugs Week. Protecting families and communities by tackling drugs supply, drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour is one of the key aims. Other targets are to prevent harm to children, young people and families and deliver new approaches to drug treatment and social integration.
Hertfordshire County Council’s Adult Care Services assistant director Sue Darker, chairman of Hertfordshire Drugs Partnership, which includes representatives from the probation service, police, county and district councils, health and the voluntary sector, said: “Hertfordshire has high quality drug treatment services throughout the county. The partnership has an excellent reputation, achieving challenging targets to double the number of Class A drug users in treatment in 2008.”
She added: “Drugs is not a single issue. When tackling drugs we must also address other issues such as crime, families and access to housing, education and employment.”
To find out what is happening around the county please click "here".
