Arrest Referral Pilot Project targets Substance Misuse in Preston and South Ribble
Fri 30th Jan 2009
From February 2009, everyone who has been arrested on a night out and detained in Preston or South Ribble Custody Suites will be interviewed the morning after by a trained drug and alcohol worker.
This major new front line initiative will offer basic information and advice about harm reduction, screening for potential health risks and referral on to other services. Drug and alcohol misuse is a major factor in offending behaviour, as well as a serious health risk, impacting on individuals, their families and the wider community.
The local 6 month pilot project will target individuals involved in substance misuse and encourage them to acknowledge and reduce their alcohol and drug consumption, improve their health and reduce the risk of re-arrest for anti-social behaviour.
Those identified as chronically dependant on alcohol or drugs, for example through a pattern of repeated arrest, will be offered a structured programme of brief interventions and care programmes designed help reduce harmful consumption levels.
“The Lancashire Drug and Alcohol Action Team commissioned this pilot to provide drug and alcohol treatment services to individuals who need help with their substance misuse behaviour, whether on a one-off or longer term basis. By intervening at the earliest stage, our 6 month investment of around £40,000 across Preston and South Ribble will benefit not just individuals. It should also have positive community safety outcomes for those areas which are most affected by problems associated with regular weekend binge drinking or drug misuse”, said Samantha Jones, Commissioning Manager for Central Lancashire at the LDAAT.