Alcohol Related Crime and Drugs

Alcohol - Reducing the Impact on our Local Communities

Alcohol plays an important role in our economy with significant revenue for local businesses and the growing associated industry such as leisure and tourism. Over 90% of the adult population drinks alcohol.  (Source: National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy Interim Analysis September 2003)

It is widely accepted that those who enjoy alcohol in moderation obtain some health and social gain.  However, it is also emerging as an area of community concern as we witness an increase in binge drinking and alcohol related crime.

Substance misuse and related offending cause significant levels of harm to communities, families and individuals.  There is a great deal of evidence of substance misuse related harms across health, economy, crime and disorder and families2. (2 NWPHO – Alcohol profiles 2007)

The National Picture
In June 2007, the Department of Health and the Home Office jointly launched an updated government alcohol strategy entitled “Safe. Sensible. Social”, setting out clear goals and actions to promote sensible drinking and reduce the harm that alcohol can cause.

The strategy sets out to: minimise the health harms, violence and anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol, while ensuring that people are able to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly.

It specifically focuses on the minority of drinkers who cause the most harm to themselves, their communities and their families. They are:


Government consulted again between July - October 2008 on whether to strengthen standards for the responsible production and sale of alcohol, and on whether the NHS could improve advice and support for those that need it.  A summary of responses to the consultation has been published.

Safe. Sensible. Social. – Consultation on further action Consultation Report – December 2008

The National Youth Alcohol Action Plan sets out how the Government will address these problems, through a strong partnership with parents, industry, criminal justice and law enforcement agencies and communities.

For the first time nationally we now have a clearer picture of the reality of substance misuse amongst young people.  More teenagers are receiving help for drug and alcohol problems than ever before owing to the expansion of specialist substance misuse services for young people, according to a new report published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA).

The report, ‘Getting to Grips with Substance Misuse among Young People’, dispels popular myths around young people’s drug and alcohol misuse and the treatment they receive.

The Statistics (Source for the following section National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy 2007 unless otherwise stated)

80% of people think that more should be done to tackle the level of alcohol abuse in society.

Excessive drinking costs the UK economy around £20 billion each year, in health, crime and disorder.

Alcohol-related illness or injury accounts for 180,000 hospital admissions per year.

The total annual healthcare cost related to alcohol misuse adds up to £1.7 billion per year.  The bulk of this cost is borne by the NHS.

Alcohol-related deaths have more than doubled since 1979, with more people dying at a younger age.

In 2003/04, the Government invested £217 million in alcohol treatment and 63,000 people were receiving treatment for alcohol disorder.

8.2 million people in England are drinking above the low-risk or sensible level and around 1.1 million people are actually dependent on alcohol.

Almost 90% of 15-year-olds have tried alcohol, while over a third drink once a week or more.

In 2005/06 17% of all violent incidents were committed in or around pubs or clubs.

In 2006/07 63% of 18–24 year-old binge drinkers admit to committing criminal or disorderly behaviour before or after drinking.

Around half of all violent incidents take place at night at the weekend (between midnight and 6 am).

Estimates for 2005 suggest that 6% of road casualties and 17% of all road deaths occurred when someone was driving over the legal limit for alcohol.

Although violent crime has fallen by an impressive 41% since a high in 1995, surveys show that a quarter of the public perceive that crime and disorder has increased. (Source: Crime in England and Wales 2006/07 www.homeoffice.gov.uk)

*In nearly half (45%) of all violent incidents, victims believed offenders to be under the influence of alcohol.

This figure rose to 58% in cases of attacks by people they did not know.

39% of domestic violence cases involve alcohol.

In nearly a million violent attacks in 2007-08, the aggressors were believed to be drunk.
(Source: *British Crime Survey 2007/08)


The Local Picture

The South West and in particular Devon has some unique challenges in responding to the impact of alcohol and its misuse locally.

Devon DAAT (Drug and Alcohol Action Team) recently carried out a regional consultation on a Devon wide approach to Alcohol service delivery and needs titled Alcohol Strategy – 2008 /11 “Reducing Harm, Empowering Change”.  The new strategy for Devon has been agreed and can be found here.

Additionally there are ongoing treatment plans for Young People’s and Adult services which includes preventative projects and criminal justice intervention plans.  These can be found at: (insert link)

Safer North Devon work in partnership to deliver local outcomes that fit under the National Government Strategy and the local Devon wide Strategy and service plans.  We contribute to the ongoing needs assessment and work with partners to meet local need.

Key evidence for our work is provided from regional reports including A Needs Assessment of Alcohol Treatment Services for Offenders in the South West Criminal Justice System*  (*A Needs Assessment of Alcohol Treatment Services for Offenders in the South West Criminal Justice System - South West Public Health Observatory - Alice Walsh October 2007) 

This report states:

 

Additionally some headlines from the DAAT needs assessment papers – December 20074 and January 20085 help us to direct resources and develop new pilot projects to respond to community needs. (Source: 4 DAAT Alcohol Needs Assessment Dec 2007. 5 DAAT Drug Needs Assessment Jan 2008)

During 2006/07 there were 3,904 recorded alcohol-related violent crimes across New Devon – 37.7% of all recorded violent crime in New Devon (Devon excluding Plymouth and Torbay) was alcohol-related.

Alcohol-related violent crime accounts for 8.1% of all recorded crime in New Devon – 48,360 recorded crimes.

In North Devon recorded alcohol-related violent crime accounts for 9.7% of all recorded crime.

In Torridge it rises to 9.8%.

24% of people in Devon in 2006 considered drunk or rowdy behaviour to be a “very big problem”.  MOSAIC profiling shows that 54% of those MOSAIC types who were most fearful live in North Devon and Torridge.

35% of all A&E and ambulance attendances will be alcohol-related.  In Devon this is 57,185 attendances at A&E per year, 1,099 per week or 160 per day.

Between 2003/04 – 2006/07 there were 907,257 hospital admissions in Devon.  16.5% of these or 150,000 were alcohol-related.

Exeter ranks 314th out of the 354 English Districts for alcohol specific hospital admissions amongst males under 18 years of age (1 is best 354 is worst).

North Devon ranks 283rd for mortality from chronic liver disease.  South Hams ranks 256th.

Torridge ranks 264th for alcohol-related months of life lost in males.

There are 4,000 Children in Need in Devon.  Alcohol misuse will be a significant factor in 40% -60% of cases – that is 1,600 to 2,400 cases.

Two thirds of the respondents to the DAAT’s Service Users’ survey had been in contact with the criminal justice system.

50 out of the 59 PPOs (Priority and Other Prolific Offenders) (insert hyperlink) in the community at December 2007 had a drug treatment need.  8 had an alcohol treatment need.

Our aim locally is to reduce the impact of alcohol related crime on our local communities.

How do we work locally?
Insert the block diagram for alcohol service delivery.

What are our local projects?

Insert Link to delivery plan.

 

 

Useful Links, Publications and Articles - For more information please try the links below

www.addaction.org.uk
If you have a problem with drugs or drink, you may be looking for some support. Addaction is the commissioned service provider for Community and Criminal Justice Alcohol treatment and support services across Devon. All of their services are free and completely confidential, and can help you with any concerns you may have.

www.drinkanddrugs.net
DrinkandDrugs.net is a web portal for professionals in the substance misuse sector and wider health, social care and criminal justice settings - and for individuals affected by drugs and alcohol use.

www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
If you seem to be having trouble with your drinking, or if your drinking has reached the point where it worries you a bit, you may be interested to know something about Alcoholics Anonymous and the A.A. programme of recovery from alcoholism.

www.turning-point.co.uk
Turning Point is the UK's leading social care organisation. They provide services for people with complex needs, including those affected by drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems and those with a learning disability.

www.thinksafedrinksafe.co.uk
This website and the 'Think Safe Drink Safe' campaign have been designed to help you enjoy a safer night out in Devon and Cornwall. This includes advice on safe drinking, how to avoid incidents of alcohol-related violence and how to make sure you get home safely at the end of the night.

www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
Alcohol Concern is the National agency on alcohol misuse campaigning for effective alcohol policy and improved services for people whose lives are affected by alcohol-related problems.

http://units.nhs.uk
An NHS site which signposts advice and understanding of drink behaviours and associated problems. If you're worried about your own drinking, take the DrinkCheck quiz. It will help you assess the effects of your drinking. And if it suggests you are drinking too much, we can also give you advice on how to drink less.

http://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk
Action on Addiction is the only UK charity working across the addiction field in research, prevention, treatment, professional education and family support.

Unfinished Business:A State of Play Report on Alcohol and the Licensing Act 2003 - LGA

Drinking in Scotland - Times Online

 

Drugs

The National picture

Illegal drugs bring with them a range of problems and they are a major issue of public concern. The harm they cause are significant, wide-ranging and costly, with the use of Class A drugs generating an estimated £15 billion in economic and social costs. While all drugs have damaging impacts, the most harmful drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine, bring untold misery to individuals, their families and communities. Problem drug use is an issue which has an impact on society as a whole, but disproportionately affects the most deprived communities, disadvantaged families and vulnerable
individuals.

• there are an estimated 332,000 problem drug users in England;
• Class A drug use generates an estimated £15.4 billion in crime and health costs each year, of which 99 per cent is accounted for by problem drug users;
• between a third and a half of acquisitive crime is estimated to be drug related; around a quarter (24 per cent) of young people aged 16–24 have used an illegal drug in the last year;
• 10 per cent of people aged 16–59 have used an illegal drug in the last year;
• 17 per cent of school children aged 11–15 have used an illegal drug in the last year; and the UK illicit drug market is estimated to be worth between £4 billion and £6.6 billion.*

*Source - Drugs: protecting families and communities
The 2008 drug strategy

National Drug strategy overview

The ten-year drug strategy (2008-2018) aims to restrict the supply of illegal drugs and reduce the demand for them. It focuses on protecting families and strengthening communities.

The 2008-2018 drug strategy places emphasis on the need to tackle the wider impact of drug misuse, by concentrating on:
• Individuals: identifying those drug-misusing offenders likely to cause the greatest harm, and supporting their families and (especially) children;
• Communities: using the Neighbourhood Policing approach to respond to community concerns about drugs, acting on community intelligence supplied and providing feedback on the action taken;
• Trafficking: expanding international cooperation to reduce further drug trafficking into the UK;
• Illegal assets: extending asset seizure powers, including agreements with other countries to seize assets held overseas.

Visit: http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drug-strategy to link to the strategy and its associated actions

Drugs in Devon

Devon outside of Exeter is primarily rural. The population is highly dispersed: for example, the number of people per square kilometre in Exeter is 2,545 and in the Teignbridge area is 44. (The average number of people per square kilometre in England is 390, and the official European Union definition of a sparsely populated area is one with 100 people or fewer per square kilometre.) Because of this widely dispersed population, Devon presents a complex picture in terms of drug use and treatment need.

For the period April to September 2008 the number of drug offences recorded for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in the Devon Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) area went down from 1137 to 1107, a fall of 2.2%. The number of seizures went down from 1320 to 756 a fall of 42.7%. The biggest seizure has been cannabis sativa (429 down from 600 last year). Heroin seizures numbered 52 (89, 2007), crack 80 (127, 2007) amphetamine 47 (119, 2007). In 2005, the most recent year for which national figures are available, Devon and Cornwall Police had the 9th highest seizure rates for all drugs out of the 42 forces in England and Wales (source: Home Office 2007).

Compared to other South West DAATs Devon has a low level of problem drug use but a high level of injecting use. This means that although total numbers of drug users may be low for the size of population the potential for drug-related harm is high.

Official estimates are that there are 2,235 problem users of opiates and/or crack cocaine (95% confidence interval 2,024 to 2,732) in Devon, of whom 635 (28%) are not known to treatment. The estimate of those not known to treatment has gone up by 4% on last year, however there was a data clean up this year that accounted for over 100 people who had been double counted. The reality is that the number of those not known to treatment has gone down slightly.

Devon police made more seizures of amphetamine than of heroin. Local estimates are that there 850 problematic amphetamine users in Devon.

Drug related deaths in Devon have reduced over the last 3 years 2005 – 44 deaths, 2006 - 22 deaths and 2007 - 11 deaths.

Hospital admissions have declined slightly but there are huge socio-economic differences in admission rates: people in the most deprived areas are ten times more likely than those in the most affluent areas to be admitted to hospital in connection with drug use.

Devon’s in-treatment population has stayed much the same as last year. There are double the percentage number of 18 and 19 year olds than last year and almost 3 times the actual number 53 (4%) compared to 18(2%).
Retention figures in Devon compare well with regional and national figures, particularly for Criminal Justice System referrals, but retention rates are lower in younger than in older clients.*

* Source :Devon Drug and Alcohol Action Team,
Treatment Plan and Needs Assessment 2009-10

 

Devon Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT)

Set up in 1998 by the Government to Deliver the National Drugs Strategy and now the National Alcohol Strategy, Safe, Sensible, Social.

The DAAT is a partnership of the key Commissioning Agencies recognising that tackling drug misuse requires coordinated action from different agencies.

The DAAT partnership is made of Devon Primary Care Trust , Devon County Council, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and Devon Probation Service.

The DAAT is responsible for the commissioning and performance management of drug treatment services to meet nationally prescribed targets.

The DAAT receives a pooled budget in respect of commissioning the drug treatment system; this will reduce in 2009/10 and is likely to reduce further in future years.

Services, which respond to alcohol-related harms, are not as well developed or historically as well funded as drug treatment. This year for the first time, Devon DAAT was successful in a bid for public health money which sees £1million available for Alcohol Service development.

This is illustrated in the DAAT Needs Assessment, but the DAAT is prohibited from spending the ring-fenced drug treatment budget on alcohol services.


Key targets are –


There is a specific pot of money targeted at criminal justice and includes working with Priority and other Prolific Offenders and targeting offenders who are passing through the criminal justice system.

The DAAT treatment plan can be found here: (needs new plan 09/10 link on nta site but not yet uploaded)

Local Commissioned Service Providers

EDP
EDP works with people across Devon and in Dorset who have, or are affected by, drug and alcohol problems with both those in the community and in prisons.
Telephone: 01271 859044

Y-Smart
Y-Smart is the commissioned Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service for all young people up to the age of 19 who live in North Devon.
Telephone:01271 388162

 

Useful Links

FRANK provides information and advice for young people on alcohol and drugs.

Alateen is a fellowship of young Al-Anon members, usually teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking.


The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) can provide help and support for children whose parents misuse alcohol.


ChildLine is the UK's free national helpline for children and young people in trouble or danger. If you need help, if you want to talk to someone, call ChildLine free on 0800 1111.


The Samaritans is available 24 hours a day.

Helpfinder – Treatment database
Drugscope have developed a database of drug treatment services in England, Wales and Scotland. It is searchable by several different criteria, including service name, treatment offered and geographical region.


Residential directory
An online directory provided by the National Treatment Agency of residential rehabilitation services in England and Wales for drug and alcohol misusers.


Local DAT directories
Many Drug Action Teams (DATs) have lots of useful information on their websites about local organisations that can provide help and advice on a whole range of issues.


Young people's directory
This directory has been set up by the National Treatment Agency to enable professionals and carers to search for services that offer help on substance misuse issues to young people under 18.