New direction towards alcohol for Cumbria DAAT

A plan to tackle substance abuse in Cumbria is now focusing more clearly on alcohol, with police admitting drink is linked to a large amount of violent crime. The Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) is placing a higher priority on problems with alcohol after previously concentrating on drugs.

Assistant Chief Constable Neil Rhodes spoke about the DAAT plan at a meeting of Cumbria Police Authority, the body overseeing the county’s police force. He said:

“Generally, it is becoming far more focussed on the perils of alcohol. In the past it has been focussed almost exclusively on drugs. There is a new direction.

We recognise that alcohol underpins a lot of the problems we have in relation to violent crime. Domestic abuse and violence always has strong themes of alcohol running through it. If we are going to address offenders by any other means than enforcement, we need partner agencies (to be involved). Treatment is something DAAT is very good at.”  News & Star

Cumbria DAAT's Pooled Treatment Budget allocation was £2.8M this year (all PTB allocations here) but - as is the case for all English DATs - it is all ring-fenced for primary drug users and not for alcohol treatment, so it will be interesting to see how the new plan is funded.