HIGH STAKES

Patrick Weir On The Pioneering Team Gambling On Using Drug Busts As A
First Step To Getting Addicts Out Of The Habit

What happens to drug users when their dealer is busted? The issue,
until now, has attracted little attention, and even less sympathy,
but the growing spread of the drugs culture has prompted a radical
initiative in Derbyshire.

An estimated 3,000 drug dealers operate on a daily basis in the
county. They cater for a market comprising at least 10,000 regular
and casual users of one drug or another. Some 3,000 of them - aged
between 13 and 50 - have a heroin addiction and each year 25 die as a
result.

"Heroin is definitely our biggest problem," says Detective Sergeant
Steve Holmes, of the Derbyshire drugs squad. "That's why I am so
encouraged by this project. It is something of a gamble, in that it
has never been tried before, but I believe it's a gamble well worth
taking."

The project, launched last month, aims to approach and counsel
addicts during the crucial period following a drugs bust, when the
dealers have shut down and users are deprived of their supply.

"Taking out a significant part of the market at one time can be the
trigger for an addict to contemplate change and think about coming
off drugs," says Steve Spear, coordinator of the Derby city drug and
alcohol action team. "Previously when this happened, the suffering
addict, if not arrested, was simply left to his own devices. Now we
can try, in effect, to capture that contemplation."

At a cost over three years of UKP 275,000 to the local health
authorities, city and county councils and the police - and with
government cash boosting the total budget to UKP 1.1m - Spear
admits that the investment is significant. But he insists it is
worthwhile for an initiative he feels can effect real change.

"This is the start of something radical," he says. "By actually
working in partnership with the police, we can systematically pool
their intelligence and then overlay this with non-personal
information from other agencies. This is the foundation of the
scheme: it will enable us to analyse a market and establish patterns
in terms of users' habits and needs."

The partnership is also the key to a more flexible approach not
afforded other community-based drugs services. Once a drugs bust has
taken place, a rapid reaction team - stationed in a mobile office -
will move in. This, in theory, will be the start of anything from
three to six months' work with users before cases are handed over to
mainstream treatment services. However, it could be a tough job
persuading an addict to take the first steps on the long road to
becoming drug-free. And there is precious little time in which to do
it.

"Following previous busts, only those users who were arrested were
offered treatment," says Holmes. "If we arrested a gang - or, as we
call them, a unit - the dealers would panic and shut up shop for
possibly three or four days. But more often than not, they cease
trading for only a few hours. This is when Steve's team must make
their approach."

Winning agreement to undergo treatment can depend on the addict's
circumstances. "A user may be under pressure from a partner or friend
to stick to their habit, or simply determined to battle through until
the next fix," says Holmes. "Sometimes it depends on how they feel
that day.

"In any case, it can take up to four referrals before someone
properly engages in treatment. And even then it doesn't always work."

Whether the market is disrupted for hours or days, the addict can go
through hell. Left stranded without a heroin supply, they often
refuse an offer of a methadone substitute. "They are obviously
feeling desperate," says Holmes. "In the 10 years I've been in this
job, I've seen graphic examples of the agonies endured; the awful
stomach cramps, the flu symptoms. The addict really does suffer."

Yet the window of opportunity is small. Following the recent arrest
of an alleged drugs wholesaler in Matlock, dealers are known to have
quickly made alternative arrangements to travel to Chesterfield or
Sheffield for their supplies. "We have arrested 300 dealers this year
and the reduction in terms of the availability and use of drugs has
been minimal," Holmes concedes.

There are no illusions about the scale of the task. "As the first
rapid reaction drug team in the country, it's a case of negotiating
new frontiers," Spear insists. "We don't know how people will react.
But by combining the elements of enforcement, treatment and
prevention, I am confident that we will make a difference."

Holmes admits: "We won't see any real benefit in the first year.
People have to agree to accept help, and they are not likely to do
that readily. And as for those with a controlled cannabis or ecstasy
habit, they won't regard the project as worthwhile anyway."

In the end, Holmes points out, it is up to the individual. Spear
agrees: "It's about getting in there and developing the motivation to
change. And, over time, it may prevent more people from entering the
drug culture."