PCC supports the Government's new 10-year drug strategy
A huge investment in cracking down on drug crime was announced by the Government today – prompting praise and support from the county’s police and crime commissioner.
The Government’s unveiling of its new 10-year-Drug Strategy was followed by the announcement of a £300m commitment to hunting and prosecuting the gangs driving the drug trade.
It will also see the Government commit to the largest ever single increase in investment in treatment and recovery.
The move has won support from PCC Marc Jones who said drugs was at the core of so much crime and anti-social behaviour.
Lincolnshire is about to launch its own drug strategy – designed to work in harmony with the national plan – created by Lincolnshire Police in conjunction with partners from around the county including the county council.
It means Lincolnshire will be the first area in the UK to launch a drugs strategy that lines up with the new national policy.
“The force has a good record of tackling drug supply and using intelligence to take millions of pounds of drugs off our streets
“These evil gangs use sophisticated tactics and new technology in order to peddle their poison and while our officers have already made significant progress in tracking, disrupting and arresting these criminals I recognise our communities will always want more to be done.
“The increased investment from the Government will enable us to reinforce the fight against the drug trade while also providing treatment for the users caught in the web of addiction.”
The measures set out in the strategy will bolster work by law enforcement officers to tackle drugs and build on the successful County Lines Programme which has already closed 1,500 lines, made over 7,400 arrests, and safeguarded more than 4,000 vulnerable adults and children.
Evidence also shows that there are more than 300,000 heroin and crack addicts in England who, between them, are responsible for nearly half of acquisitive crime, which includes burglaries, robberies and shop thefts, and drugs drive nearly half of all homicides. Whole communities experience the misery caused by this minority, which comes with a cost to society, in England alone, of nearly £20billion a year.