Simon Jenkins (Even England’s police want to decriminalise hard drugs. Why won’t our posturing politicians listen?, 20 December) understandably calls for a more treatment-based approach to tackling hard drugs. He rightly cites frontline experience by police in evolving their approach.
In Middlesbrough we introduced the first heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programme in the UK over a three-year period. There is much evidence, collated by Teesside University; much expertise, of the Foundations medical practice, which provided a three-times-daily service; and much experience, of a public health and criminal justice group I brought together and chaired to oversee it.
HAT was this year endorsed by the home affairs select committee as a model of good practice – not only saving money, reducing crime and saving lives, but also helping people to move on and grow from their addiction, in a town and a region with some of the highest death rates in the country. It sadly closed at the end of this year through lack of funding being committed.
I’ve always maintained it’s not about being “soft” on crime or “tough” on crime, but smart on crime – the question is how many more lives have to be lost before we as a society wise up?
Barry Coppinger
Police and crime commissioner for Cleveland 2012-20
• Simon Jenkins makes a compelling case for decriminalising “hard drugs”. Given the annual UK tax revenue from tobacco is £10.9bn, and alcohol £12.7bn, it is likely that a comparable income would be generated if the sale of hard drugs was similarly legalised and monetised. More than enough to pay for a wage rise for all public sector workers that meets the rate of inflation.
Dr Michael Symonds
Loughborough, Leicestershire
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