Effective treatment for drug abuse builds better communities

Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

People who misuse drugs and alcohol need to be supported to help them rehabilitate, play a positive role in society and give something back to their communities, according to Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

Tony Lloyd was speaking ahead of a regional conference organised by DrugScope, the UK’s leading charity that provides support to professionals who work in drug and alcohol treatment. 

Mr Lloyd will be on a panel of experts at the conference, which takes place in Manchester on Tuesday 4 March.

Mr Lloyd said: “This conference represents an opportunity for professionals across the entire range of services to come together and share their knowledge on issues relating to the harm caused by drug and alcohol misuse within Greater Manchester

“In times of economic difficulty we must all look closely at how to improve collaborative working between the full range of local services and charitable organisations, to ensure the interests of the community remain a priority.

”Substance misuse is a major catalyst of crime. Cutting offending and re-offending is a high priority for people in Greater Manchester, so we have to work to deal effectively with a range of people involved with substance misuse within the community.

“In my role as PCC I have visited several drug rehabilitation centres throughout Greater Manchester in recent months –all of which have reaffirmed my belief that by improving our ability to work collaboratively, we are more effectively able to ensure individuals misusing drugs and alcohol are given access to the support they require to stop and reintegrate within the local community.”

DrugScope Chief Executive Marcus Roberts, who will be speaking at the event, said: “We’re delighted that Tony Lloyd will be joining us. DrugScope and the Recovery Partnership are coming to Manchester to listen to the views and experiences of frontline workers and local decision makers who are working together to help people recover from drug and alcohol problems in the region. It’s an opportunity for us to hear what is working in your local community and what more needs to be done – and to ensure that ministers and senior government officials get an accurate picture of what is happening on the ground.”