Drug treatment schemes rolled out

On-charge drug testing, referrals and treatment programmes for drug users in custody were rolled out in 36 Basic Command Units last month as the Government’s Out of Crime, Into Treatment programme entered its second year.

Under the programme everyone aged 18 or over who is arrested and charged with one of a range of ‘trigger’ offences, is tested while in the police station to detect if they are using heroin, cocaine or crack.

A referral worker based within the custody suite interviews anyone who provides a positive test from an oral swab. A drug treatment counsellor will then see them within three days.

Out of Crime, Into Treatment was launched in 30 areas across England in April 2003, and followed pilot programmes in nine BCUs. The initiative involves the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Prison Service, Probation Service, Drug Action Teams (DATs) and local community safety partnerships.

While a full evaluation of the pilot schemes has yet to be published, a recent report by the Home Office highlighted the benefits of the programme and identified best practice in forces that have introduced it.

The report draws attention to the programme in Doncaster, where a systematic approach to implementation, good training packages and effective partnership working have contributed to its success.

By the end of October 2003, 17,586 tests had been attempted on 11,846 individuals in the nine pilot sites. The success rate was 99 per cent.

The proportion of positive tests varied significantly, from 36 per cent in Torquay to 65 per cent in Hackney, east London. The most common offence triggering a test was theft, accounting for 64 per cent of tests, while burglary (12 per cent) and possession of a controlled drug (five per cent) were the next most common trigger offences.

Speaking about the expansion of the initiative, Home Office Drugs Minister, Caroline Flint said: “This innovative programme addresses the drug addiction at the root of so much acquisitive crime. The programme will manage and support these individuals and their drug habit wherever they go, whether they are in prison or in the community.

“Problem drug users cost the economy between £10 billion and £18 billion a year.

Around 75 per cent of crack and heroin users commit crime to pay for their habit. By dealing with their addiction we can cut health costs, criminal justice costs – all the social and economic costs attached to drug abuse.

“Evidence shows that targeting offenders at every point in the criminal justice system reduces re-offending and dependence on drugs. We estimate that in 2004/05, drug related crime could be reduced by as many as 1.5 million offences thanks to this programme.”

How drug referral benefits everyone involved

The recently published Development and Practice Report into on-charge drug testing identified the following benefits for those involved in the scheme:

• Drug Action Teams and Primary Care Trusts – to inform treatment plans, identify what drugs are being used and help identify treatment capacity.

• Police – to remove doubts about whether some detainees have used drugs in the recent past.

• Probation – to improve the assessment process for the pre-sentence report in order to support more appropriate sentences for offenders who would not otherwise discuss their drug use.

• Sentencers – identify more appropriate sentences to tackle drug misuse by supporting probation assessments.

• Prison office sentence planners – to inform sentence planning for offenders by identifying those who require drug treatment during their period in custody and any specific support they may require on release.

• Arrest referral services – drug testing enables a more targeted method of identifying those offenders for who arrest referral services may be appropriate.

• Detainees – for some detainees this may provide a route into treatment, which may not otherwise have been sought or accessed.