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Commenting on the Government’s 10-year drug strategy announced today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:
“The Government has already been through one ten-year drugs strategy and a failed drugs tsar, but drug addiction is still the most significant contributor to crimes against property with 35 per cent of those arrested testing positive for opiates such as heroin or cocaine, including crack.
“Cutting benefits for addicts is a gimmick that is more likely to increase crime than reduce it, and the police already have the powers to freeze the assets of anyone who is arrested for serious crime.
“This is a medical and social problem which must be addressed with effective treatment programmes, yet the Government is lamentably failing to fund programmes that can cut reoffending rates by half. The Department of Health and the Home Office do not coordinate their efforts, and the result is a continuing public health and crime crisis.”
The situation is no better in Wales. A member was recently appalled to see illegal drug transactions taking place openly in the centre of Swansea, in a supposedly tightly-policed zone.
The Home Office's own figures show that between a third and a half of all acquisitive crime is estimated to be drug-related, and that 35 per cent of those arrested tested positive for opiates or cocaine.
1 comment:
As with most Labour Policies no real thought has gone into this, no vision or no thinking outside the box.
Budgets for substance misuse are pitiful; with most trusts in Wales overspending on their substitute prescribing budgets.
While the government focuses on acquisitive crime; most of the violent crime is associated with alcohol and most cases of people ending up in hospital are due to either alcohol or tobacco related diseases.
Three litres of white cider (8%) can be bought for around £2, this amount to around 10 pence per unit of alcohol. Alcohol consumption amongst young people is a real concern; so why is booze so bloody cheap?
This wonderful government declassified Cannabis from a class B to a class C substance; the strength of cannabis has increased dramatically, as have the psychological effects that this substance has on the young brain. Cannabis is an extremely dangerous substance to be giving to adolescence; it leads to all sorts of psychological problems.
Arresting the odd heroin addict make good press in the local rags, but as far as I’m concerned serves no real purpose but to give the right wing hang ‘em and flog ‘em brigade a warm feeling inside. Our prisons are full; full of substance misusers and those with mental health issues, and how much does it cost to keep someone in prison – around £35,000 per year. Lets face facts, prisons are just revolving doors, Magistrates haven’t got a clue what is best for the person is presented in front of them, so just bang ‘em up if there’s any space in the local nick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Try spending some of the money put into prisons on substance misuse initiatives!
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