p08-09 Flint.qxd
29/10/04
8:03 pm
Page 8
Caroline Flint, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the
Home Office, talks to Drink and Drugs News about the
government's thinking behind the drugs and alcohol
strategies, both of which fall within her ministerial brief.
Photo by Andy Paraskos
How to get the
out of
drugs
crime
CAROLINE FLINT’S EXPERIENCE AS MP
for Don Valley (centred on the town of
Doncaster) leads her to the view that ‘a person
addicted to class A drugs is a mini crime wave’.
She argues that stealing and begging have
become inextricably linked with feeding a drug
habit, and points to the high positive drugs test
rate among those arrested for acquisitive crime.
A recent study of the link between drugs and
gun crime, 66% of people arrested in her
constituency for gun-related offences tested
positive for drugs (the second highest figure in
the country, just behind Hackney).
It was primarily to try to break the cycle
between drugs and crime that led the Labour
administration to develop the national drugs
strategy, first published in 1998 and updated in
2002 – and which has fuelled a significant
increase in funding for both treatment and
prevention initiatives.
Central to the government's focus on drugs
and alcohol abuse is their link to offending –
and it is their belief that tackling drugs and
alcohol abuse will help to bring down crime
that is at the core of both national strategies.
Flint points out that effective treatment for
people with drug problems requires not only
more and better services – the initial focus of the
government's approach to treatment – but also
on a more joined up approach between agencies,
a key element of the new Drug Intervention
Programme (DIP) initiative (the renamed
Criminal Justice Intervention Programme).
As well as crime and anti-social behaviour,
Flint lists education, family policy and welfare
to work, among her policy interests. It’s a back-
ground that she believes has equipped her well
to understand ‘the chaotic lifestyles involving
crime… lack of education, lack of employment,
lack of housing, that these individuals face’.
Flint launched a DIP in her own constituency
in September. She is a great believer in joined-
up thinking and the programme brought
together expertise from local authorities, health
services, police, probation services and the
voluntary sector.
The key word seems to be ‘engagement’ –
from all of the agencies, and from the client
themselves.
‘If they have a problem that is making them
commit crime, we engage with them and get
them into treatment,’ explains Flint. ‘Having
done that, treatment and support to stay off
drugs is ongoing.’
Crucially, in Flint's view, this support extends
beyond the end of any prison sentence –
convincing proof she believes of the
commitment to keeping clients out of the drug
crime loop for good.
Having worked closely with many people
within and around the substance misuse field,
Flint is keen to advocate the benefits of joint
working with the rest of the social care field, to
get the best, most integrated plan of care for
each individual.
‘It’s important to develop these links because
individuals don’t operate in silos,’ she says.
‘What’s going on outside treatment support can
affect the success of treatment. If somebody is
involved in a substitute subscribing programme,
but they’ve got nowhere to live, or something
else is going wrong in their personal lives, if
there are children involved in the family… these
are all things that can affect the success of any
drug treatment.’
Working across agencies, to ‘get as much
common understanding about all the different
issues that affect successful outcomes’ can be a
major step towards helping someone get over
and deal with their drug addiction, she believes.
‘[We need to] identify how we can share
information in the best interests of the
individual concerned.’
Alongside all of the discussion about well-
meaning initiatives, Caroline Flint realises that
for any strategy to be considered effective, the
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