Wirral has been included in plans that will see communities in England most affected by drug related crime and addiction receive more than £300 million of additional funding over the next three years to strengthen treatment and recovery services.
The extra cash will be used to help to reverse the upward trend in drug use by tackling this major driver of crime which disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable and poorest communities.
Merseyside has the highest rate of drug offences.
Kit Malthouse, Combating Drugs Minister, said: "Aside from the personal misery and degradation, drugs are behind almost half of all burglaries and robberies, and drive violence and murder in too many neighbourhoods.
"We must maintain focus on the Prime Minister’s overall aim to reduce crime that blights our cities and towns, and the best way to do this is to work together to reduce homelessness, drug use and drug deaths. We will build on our work in the current Project ADDER locations, adding yet more heft to existing sites to accelerate the turnaround for addicts and their neighbours.
Plans include:
- piloting local drugs partnerships which aim to ensure every opiate and crack cocaine user is offered drug treatment support, accommodation, education and employment support
- preventing a ‘cliff edge’ and support ending when offenders leave statutory probation supervision to ensure they receive continued help
- trialling co-ordination of all local services around the individual drug user
- bringing prolific offenders into local integrated offender management schemes to ensure increased levels of oversight and rehabilitation support in line with the integrated offender management strategy to reduce neighbourhood crime
- taking a tougher approach to drug-related reoffending, including through greater use of community sentences with drug rehabilitation requirements, drug testing and stronger electronic monitoring options available