PCC calls on government to protect investment in drug and alcohol services

Focused on reducing the harm caused by substance misuse, Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion is calling on the Government to ringfence its investment in drugs and alcohol services in West Mercia.

In a letter to the Government, which continues to look at departmental budgets due to ongoing financial challenges, the PCC warns that a reduction in funding for services will not only impact those in treatment, but the police, local authorities and communities.

Analysis from Public Health England shows that £1 invested in drug treatment, £4 is saved in other public spending, rising to £21 when wider societal benefits are considered.

Bringing together partners from policing, health, criminal justice, housing and social care, the partnership which formed in 2022 has grown from strength-to-strength, with a fall in alcohol related offences (10%) and drug offences (2%) alongside record numbers of referalls into life-changing treatment.

PCC John Campion: “Drugs and alchohol blight our communities, so the work being carried out through the Combatting Drugs Partnership is absolutely vital in changing a too familiar story.

“By utilising the skills and expertise of organisations across the public sector, we are able to efficiently and effectively break the cycle by giving victims the support they need to turn their life around, whilst bringing criminals to justice.

“That’s why I am calling on the government to protect funding, and where possible increase it, to ensure the West Mercia partnership gets the resources it deserves.”