Government's drugs plan to tackle County Lines gangs 'is significant' investment'
The Government’s 10-year drugs strategy which pledges to break up 2,000 county lines drugs gangs is a "significant" investment and will help make communities in Shropshire safer, the region's crime commissioner has said.
Ministers have announced the the strategy will allocate £780 million in funding for the drug treatment system in England.
The government says it is to provide rehabilitation for 300,000 drug users who carry out half of all shop thefts, robberies and burglaries.
It also includes £300m for combatting more than 2,000 county lines gangs, with all local authorities in England due to receive new money for treatment and recovery.
West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has welcomed the investment and says it will support ongoing work locally.
He has already invested in early intervention such as the Climb programme, to prevent county lines exploitation, and the expansion of the Divert programme, which engages with low level drug users to understand the harms of drugs and change their behaviour at an early stage.
Mr Campion said: “Drug offences have a knock-on impact in other criminality in our communities, and it’s important we take a holistic approach which includes prevention, rehabilitation and enforcement.
"I have proven my commitment to tackling drug offences through early intervention and I am also committed to ensuring West Mercia Police have the resources to tackle county line offending and other related criminality affecting our communities.
"The Government’s significant investment is welcomed.
"The national approach, coupled with the ongoing work locally, will make a real step change in supporting the vulnerable, reducing crime and ultimately making our communities safer.”
The strategy plans to treat addiction as a chronic health condition in order to reduce stigma, save lives and break the cycle of crime fuelled by addiction.
This will include delivering treatment and recovery services through rebuilding the workforce, council-led substance misuse services and ensuring support is more integrated to cater for users' physical and mental health needs.
The government will also look to improve access to accommodation and treatment for people at risk of sleeping rough as well as boosting employment opportunities.
It plans to roll out individual employment support across all local authorities in England by 2025 to help those in recovery to secure work.
It will also aim to increase the number of referrals for treatment from within the criminal justice system and improve the engagement of prisoners with treatment after their release.
