Blunkett pinpoints areas for drugs cash

Home secretary David Blunkett has announced £46.2m of funding
for the 30 areas in England most affected by drug-related
crime.

He told the annual conference of social care agency Turning Point
this week that the money would support the work already being done
by local agencies on the front line. “We want to break the link
between drug misuse and crime,” he said.

Of the 30 areas awarded the additional funding, 28 are in the most
88 deprived areas in England and Wales.

The £46.2m package will fund measures including drug-testing
facilities in custody suites, and new aftercare and throughcare
services for ex-prisoners.

Blunkett also called on voluntary sector agencies to work with the
government to tackle drugs. “There needs to be some new radical
thinking about how to engage with agencies who are doing this work
and not exclude them,” he said. He added that the government should
be “open about the problem, honest about the difficulties of
implementation, and share the challengeÉ with those at the
sharp end”.