WHITEHALL CASH TO FIGHT DRUGS MENACE

THE Home Office is giving more than UKP4million to districts in the East of
England as part of a nationwide campaign to reclaim the streets from
criminal drug dealers.

The cash, invested under the Communities Against Drugs Initiative (CAD),
will be targeted at disrupting Class A illicit drugs markets, offering
treatment and support for offenders, and driving drug dealers out of
neighbourhoods.

Money will go to finance more high visibility policing in drug hot spots,
recruiting additional housing managers, criminal justice workers, CCTV, and
better security lighting.

This is the project's second year and the hope is that tackling the stolen
goods market that funds drug habits, and using operational teams to disrupt
the activities of known dealers, will also effectively tackle rising street
crime.

Home Office minister John Denham, said: "Class A drugs and crime are
clearly linked. Tackling them both is key to ending the cycle of drug
dependency and criminal activity that ruins lives and wrecks communities.
It is a Government priority.

"By helping the police and residents strengthen their local communities, we
are determined to break links between drugs and crime and make our streets
safer places," he added.

Henry Tam, Crime Reduction Director for the East of England, said: "The CAD
funding is crucial to our fight to reduce crime in the region and break the
cycle between drugs and crime, which has such a negative impact on our
local communities."

Colchester, Chelmsford and Ipswich head the cash allocations in the region,
based on the number of recorded robberies in each council area.

In Suffolk, the money will be handed out as follows: Ipswich UKP99,500,
Babergh UKP61,200, Forest Heath UKP63,400, Mid Suffolk UKP59,700, St
Edmundsbury UKP73,900, Suffolk Coastal UKP74,800, Waveney UKP89,000.

In north Essex, cash has been allocated as follows: Colchester UKP108,500,
Chelmsford UKP100,300, Braintree UKP87,600. Maldon UKP52,500, Tendring
UKP90,600 and Uttlesford UKP54,900.