Almost £3m in illegal drugs has been seized over the last two years by Northumbria Police as part of a programme to disrupt drug dealers and help users into recovery.
Project ADDER is a scheme launched by the Home Office, and Newcastle was chosen as a pilot area. Since then, working in partnership with Newcastle City Council and its partners in drug and alcohol services, the police has seized £2,909,540 in drugs, arrested 960 people and carried out 157 search warrants.
Northumbria Police has also seized £495,619 in cash - while of 1,208 people drug-tested on arrival in custody, 609 have tested positive for illegal substances. Over the period, the city council has increased staff working in recovery services and boosted the number of people accessing treatment and support.
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In the two years, 850 naloxone kits have been passed on to help with "overdose-reversal". Funding has also enabled 145 carers of family members with drug-related problems and 178 carers of family members with alcohol-related problems to access further support.
The project has also supported the council and police to build a picture of the drugs market across the city.
Coun Karen Kilgour, Newcastle City Council deputy leader and health chief, said: "Illegal drugs and the criminal networks that supply them ruin people’s lives and the communities they impact. Through Project ADDER, we’ve been able to work with our partners to help people begin to turn their lives around and start to leave behind the dangers and criminality they are exposed to as a result of their addictions.
"I’m immensely proud of the impact we’ve been able to have in providing people with a chance of a fresh start and supporting our colleagues at Northumbria Police to tackle the criminals seeking to profit from the destruction their actions cause in our communities."
The police's project lead Supt Jamie Pitt said: "Since the beginning of Project Adder we have seized illegal drugs worth an estimated three million pounds and taken almost £500,000 of suspected criminal cash out of circulation. These numbers are significant and are a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the officers and staff involved in this work.
"We are determined to help empower communities to take a firm stance organised crime and illegal drug supply."
Government ministers Chris Philp and Neil O'Brien - who have responsibility for drugs and health respectively - both welcomed the success of Project ADDER. Mr Philp said: "Ridding streets of dangerous drugs is only one part of Project ADDER. Vulnerable people are supported by tailored programmes to coax them away from addictive substances. Every circumstance is different but under Project ADDER more people in these local authorities are getting the support they need, which is so important."
Mr O'Brien added: "Our trail-blazing response to combatting drug-use is working, and I’m pleased to see the data shows communities are safer thanks to a combination of tough law enforcement and more treatment and recovery services.
"However, we must not lose momentum. Our 10-year drug strategy is driving up drug treatment and we are investing £532 million to tackle addiction. By the end of the parliament, local authority funding for treatment will have grown by 40% compared to 2020."
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