Treated drug addicts commit fewer offences, study shows » Central Government » 24dash.com

Drug abusers given treatment commit fewer offences to feed their habit, according to research published today.

Officials compared police information about crack and heroin addicts with a national drug treatment database for the first time.

The National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse (NTA) findings confirmed the widely-held belief that rehabilitation programmes work.

Offences such as theft, motoring crimes and violence fell by as much as half when individuals were given help.

The findings were revealed on the eve of the annual Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) drugs conference. The two-day conference, which takes place in Belfast, will focus on cocaine trafficking.

Senior police officers said the study is fresh evidence drug treatment has a key role to play in combating crime.

Humberside Chief Constable Tim Hollis, the national lead on tackling drugs, said there are many ways of reducing the harm drugs cause.

He said: "While police enforcement activity will always be a key element, I am delighted to see objective evidence that other areas of the strategy, in this case drug treatment, are contributing to a reduction in crime and thus a reduction in the harm caused to local neighbourhoods."

The study, conducted by academics at the National Drug Evidence Centre at Manchester University, studied 1,500 opiate and crack cocaine users.

They focused on drug users who were not jailed and started drug treatment in the community instead in 2004-5.

The total number of crimes committed almost halved following the start of their treatment from 4,381 to 2,348, with thefts down from 1,234 to 635.

Paul Hayes, NTA chief executive, said: "Drug treatment brings a variety of benefits to both individuals and society through better health and less crime."