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Drug Misuse At Its Lowest The overall use of any drug is at its lowest level since the BCS started measurement in 1996 (9.3% of 16 to 59 year olds). This is mainly due to declines in the use of cannabis (the most prevalent drug) since 2003/04. Cannabis remains the type of drug most likely to be used with 7.4% having used it in the last year. Among 16 to 24 year olds, the use of illicit drugs in the last year (21.3%) is at its lowest level since 1996; this is also true of the overall prevalence of Class A drug use (6.8%). Since 1996, cannabis use, in the last year, has decreased from 26.0% to 17.9% for 16 to 24 year olds. Ecstasy, hallucinogen, and amphetamine use has also fallen whilst cocaine use has increased (reflecting large increases in cocaine powder use between 1996 and 2000). The findings are from the annual statistical bulletin - Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2007/08 British Crime Survey - based on the self-report drug use data of 16 to 59 year olds from the 2007/08 British Crime Survey (BCS). The Challenge of Rising Crime Reading the latest crime figures - crime statistics - one could be forgiven for thinking that crime was spiralling into non existence. In fact the Home Secretary, in her ministerial statement to the House of Commons on 23 October did say, 'I welcome today’s figures which show that crime has fallen by 6%. Fewer people are being injured as a result of violence. Gun crime, robbery and homicides are down, and the chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest level ever'. But is it really so? As Jacqui Smith herself pointed out in that same statement '...We revised offence categories for recording the most serious violence and clarified our guidance to police forces.' ; and as the subsequent media coverage has suggested, police are confusingly misrecording types of violent offence and in consequence the real levels of serious violence are just not known but are definitely higher than are appearing in the figures. So what credence can we have in a Home Secretary who states 'However, for most types of violence where the guidance hasn’t changed – like homicide, robbery and death by driving – the numbers are down since last year'. Totally accepted Home Secretary, but what about the random 'social' acts of serious violence that lead to injury other than death - the knifings and batterings regularly experienced across the UK which are getting discounted - slipping away from both the tactical and operational responsibility of the police and their community safety partners because they are neatly hidden behind a smokescreen of misrecording? Surely it is about time that we were grown-up enough to accept that the Home Secretary is not responsible for crime itself but she is responsible for the accurate and transparent recording of crime and, based upon a clear understanding of the real issues, the leadership to support tackling those crimes and their causes - where is the violent crime task force; where is its action plan; where are the funds to work on the problems etc etc? New Publications Practical Guidance to Performance Management for Police Team Leaders A summary of the main guidance aimed at those who directly control and supervise a single team but a very useful handbook for any manager of a frontline team. Managing Town Centre Partnerships: A guide for practitioners The guide is the product of a 2 year action-learning project involving 21 town centres of differing sizes from across England. The project was managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) under contract to Communities and Local Government. PwC provided consultancy support to the 21 partner areas, that were at various stages in developing town centre partnerships. The guide, drafted by PwC, captures the learning outcomes from the project. The UK Home Office has published (July 2008) a youth crime action plan; a cross-government analysis of what the government is going to do to tackle youth crime. It sets out a 'triple track' approach of enforcement and punishment where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge where it is most needed, and better and earlier prevention. Crime in England and Wales 2007/08 The UK Home Office have published (July 2008) the annual crime statistics - which this year includes results from both the British Crime Survey (BCS) and from police records. The BCS is a victimisation survey, in which adults are asked about their own experiences of crime. Police recorded crime statistics measur e trends in reported crimes, and are an indicator of police workload, and 'can be used for local crime pattern analysis'. From Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communties Together The policing green paper (July 2008), explains how the government will work with police to prevent crime, improve public confidence, and give people more information about crime and policing where they live and work. It proposesplans to cut red tape to give the police more time to get on with the job of reducing crime and proposals to increase the accountability of police services to local communities. This guide promotes best practice for all those working in the night-time economy, particularly licensing authorities, police and fire officers, venue managers / promoters and health promotion workers. |
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