Over the time I have been your MP for Bassetlaw, one recurring issue constituents have raised with me has been drug use and drug crime in Worksop. You have told me that one of the big reasons why you do not wish to shop on the high street is that you feel unsafe and unwelcome, with drug users at the Trader Clock making shopping an unpleasant experience for you. I agree that if we wish to level up and regenerate Worksop, we must firstly tackle the anti-social behaviour and drug use in Worksop.
I was therefore pleased to see the government publish our 10-year Drugs Strategy, which will help to crush drug crime, make our streets safer, and work to address these concerns.
Drugs are a scourge on our society and fuel violence on our streets, with vile county lines gangs blighting our neighbourhoods, exploiting children and ruining lives.
The new 10-year Drugs Strategy, which will keep our streets safe, will strengthen police programmes that crack down on drug gangs, give law enforcement new powers to expand drug testing, and use innovative new methods to discourage drug taking.
This strategy builds on the significant progress we have made already – with crimes rates falling, an extra 11,053 police officers on our streets and over 1,500 drugs lines closed since 2019.
To tackle this issue the government are securing and breaking supply chains, and delivering world class treatment and recovery.
To secure and break supply, the government will continue to roll-up exploitative and violent county lines and strengthen our response across the drug supply chain, making the UK a significantly harder place for organised crime groups to operate. We will do this by making sure our dedicated organised crime partnerships continue to receive support and investment, targeting the disruptive ‘middle market’. We will leverage the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers to grow Regional Organised Crime Units, allowing them to bear down on the enablers of drug supply, including illicit firearms and money laundering.
We will also be investing a further £780 million to rebuild drug treatment and recovery services, including for young people and offenders, with new commissioning standards to drive transparency and consistency. This will provide a second chance to those who have fallen victim to drug use.
