Drugs

Over recent years the availability and usage of drugs has risen markedly and as a result many local agencies now exist to address the issues.

In 2004, cannabis was re-classified from a class B to a class C drug. It is however, still illegal to possess or supply the drug and the penalties range from a maximum of 2 years imprisonment for possession to a maximum of 14 years imprisonment for supply.

19% of respondents to the 2004 Crime Audit said they had taken, or witnessed the taking of illegal drugs. Of these the most common drug reported was cannabis (41%).

Hart and Rushmoor are working in Partnership with the police and other agencies on the HARRIER project (Hart and Rushmoor Reduction in Eternal Reoffending). It aims to put support systems in place to help those re- offenders with drug issues.

The graph below shows the taking, or witnessing of Cannabis, Cocaine and Ecstasy, by ward. It shows that overall, Fleet had the highest number of incidents involving all three drugs. Again, the reason for this is likely to be the number of people who frequent Fleet and the close links between drugs and the club / pub scene.

In relation to drugs offences, evidence from the police identifies that there are a variety of illegal drugs available in Hart. The graph below shows the level of drug offences from April 2002 – March 2003 and from this we can see that Hart is well below the national average, which is a promising indication that the support services within Hart are working well at reducing drug offences.

The graph below highlights the number of drug offences as recorded by the police within each beat area. The highest number of drug offences occurred in the Fleet town centre and Pondtail area, this is most likely due to the number of people who frequent Fleet town centre, especially with the close links often associated between the club and pubs and the taking of stimulant drugs such as ecstasy. However, when considering the number of people arrested by the police for drug offences, it is still relatively low with only 19 people being arrested in Fleet during a one-year period. Throughout the whole of Hart, which has is a population of 83,505, there were only 86 drug offences. This relates to 1.03 offences per 1000 population, which is a relatively small number, however, it is important to remember that this does not represent the true nature of the drug issues within Hart, simply those recorded by the police.

• ACORN Drug and Alcohol Service 01276 625566
• Al ANON 020 7403 0888
• Alcohol Concern 020 7328 7377
• Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 769 7555
• CHYP (Young people’s support) 01483 459198
• FRANK (National Drug Helpline) 0800 776600
• Friends and Family Support 01252 650987
• ‘Safer Hart’ Community Safety Partnership 01252 774476
• Local Aids Helpline and Group Counselling 01252 511990
• Loddon NHS Trust 01252 398140
• NARCON (Alcohol and drugs helpline) 01304 820251
• Narcotics anonymous 020 7730 0009
• National Aids Helpline 0800 567123
• Resolve (Solvent abuse helpline) 0808 8002345
• SADAS (one to one counselling) 01483 890150
• Smoking Cessation 08001690169