Boris Johnson warned middle class drug users he will not sit ‘idly by’ and let them fund crime today as he unveiled a £300million narcotics blitz.
As he was joining police in a dawn raid, the Prime Minister advised recreational drivers that they could lose their driving licenses and passports.
They could be sent text messages by police to alert them if they are found with dealers’ numbers.
Priti Patel, writing in The Daily Mail today warns that repeat offenders may even face home curfews.
Johnson, speaking in Liverpool this morning, also promised to take’very harsh’ action against gangs using drugs to transport people from cities into the more affluent areas of the country.
He said, “What we are also saying is that we won’t be sitting idly watching when lifestyle users use Class A drugs as well, and that we will be taking tougher action against them.”
“We’re looking into ways to address those lifestyle drug users that don’t believe they’re part of the problem. The problem is being created by all of the demand.
The 300,000 drug addicts need your help.
These moves form part of an order and law package, which will also include:
- £145million in funding to help the police smash the county lines drugs gangs bringing misery to towns and cities across the country.
- All rape victims will be able to provide evidence via video link. This is a step to increase the woeful prosecutor rates.
- Community service drug offenders will have their drugs tested. If they are found abusing prohibited substances, the possibility of going to jail is possible.
- To help addicts get clean and start a new life, there is additional support at drug treatment centers.
- Publication and distribution of new crime “scorecards” to highlight weaknesses in dealing with a variety of offences including rape, sexual assault, and other crimes.
- This whitepaper is for prisoners and contains guidelines that aim to increase discipline and cut the drug supply.
- To identify people who are in need of help, we have expanded drug testing for those arrested on other charges.
- Students are warned by an advertising campaign that drug abuse could ruin their lives.
Johnson, speaking in Liverpool today, also promised to take’very harsh’ action against gangs using drugs to transport people from cities into the more affluent areas.
The Home Office said part of the £300million drugs package would be used to dismantle 2,000 county lines drugs operations
Johnson stated that he was not going to stand by while lifestyle addicts are also taking Class A drugs. He said, “We’re not going down to sit back and watch them,” Johnson added.
He added: ‘We are looking at doing things to tackle those so-called lifestyle drug users who don’t think they are part of the problem. All the demands are contributing to the problem.
Johnson claimed that drugs gangs are’making hell’ out of people’s lifes. Johnson stated: We want everybody to be in safer streets and everybody to have the rights to a safe environment to live in. Unfortunately, too many people see their lives destroyed by county lines gangs.
You have to get tougher with the county gangs.
“You can’t just keep them locked up and send them to prison over and over again. They need rehabilitation.”
The Home Office said part of the £300million drugs package would be used to dismantle 2,000 county lines drugs operations, in which criminals exploit vulnerable youngsters to deliver drugs to towns and cities outside the main conurbations.
The strategy will also provide more funds to assist addicts in kicking their habit. Sources at the Home Office denied yesterday that this new approach would result in less users going to prison.
The overall cost of drugs crime is estimated at £20billion a year.
Shadow home secretary Yvette cooper said a new strategy for drug use is ‘long overdue’ because the country has gone terribly backwards.
Her recommendation was to combine a criminal justice and public health response.
According to her, the BBC Radio 4 Today program stated that the government has had its public health response severely cut over the past 10 years. The criminal justice system has also been severely cut. This is due to the decrease in police, prosecutions and the reduction of action through courts.
The strategy will also provide more funds to assist addicts in kicking their habit. Sources at the Home Office denied yesterday that this new strategy would result in less users going to prison.
“So you can combine them both together. It was possible to combine these two things if we go back at least 10 years. We had more coordination via the courts, drug rehabilitation orders and all that stuff. This is what we should be searching for.
“But they have to also be able deliver it in the practice because too often, you only get the headlines but don’t get the actual action in the practice.
Today’s Daily Mail reported that the Home Secretary stated today that ministers were determined to reduce demand from “recreational users”, such as students or middle-class professionals. ‘Their actions are directly leading to an increase in violent crime and people dying – but they pay no price. This will change,” she wrote.
“We will bring down all legal penalties and other consequences that could be imposed on these drug addicts. This includes criminal sanctions, penalties, curfews and compulsory drug awareness classes, as well as the removal of their passports.
Priti Patel, writing in The Daily Mail today warns that repeat offenders may even face home curfews
Shadow home secretary Yvette cooper said a new strategy for drug use is ‘long overdue’ because the country has gone terribly backwards.
Further powers will be granted to the authorities for the purpose of seizing passports or driving licences belonging to middle-class individuals whose behavior fuels the trade.
UK Parliament of Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Poppy, the sniffer detection dog inside the House of Commons
Yesterday MrJohnson said that Government’s ten-year drug strategy would turn the tide against the evil trade which is ‘killing children’.
The Prime Minister warned that while the main focus of this action will be to shut down the operations of another 2000 county lines, he also advised those who live ‘lifestyles’ and rely on their cash for survival.
“These people believe it is a crime without victims.” He told The Sun that it isn’t. We are looking at other ways to penalize them. They will be affected by these things. Therefore, we are going to take out driving and passports.
According to a Whitehall source, the messages were intended shock people. According to them, ‘Too many people assume they are anonymous when buying drugs’. The idea behind this is to make them think again. Instead of finding a message from their dealer on their phone, their phone will turn out to be from someone they believe is them.
I refuse to watch evil gangs make children suffer
FOR DAILY MAIL, PRITI PATEL
Drugs can ruin your life. Drugs fuel violence and encourage crime, making them a major problem in society. These people destroy families, communities and relationships. The misery that they cause is incalculable.
Drug misuse was responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths in England and Wales last year. It’s more than all road traffic accidents and knife crime combined.
The main driver of crime is drug use. The majority of murders and violent offenses are committed by drug addicts.
People who are evil beyond limits run the criminal drug trade. For years, they have exploited and abounded vulnerable children in order to sell their drugs and make them slaves to their evil networks. These gangs are using children as young as 7 to transport drugs.
As the Home Secretary I won’t stand by as such criminality and dehumanisation takes place.
It is for this reason that the government will increase the police presence in cities, and more than 11,000 officers are currently stationed across the country.
They have better funding and are trained with the necessary tools and resources to fight drugs and other gangs in order to keep our communities safe.
And our approach is working – there has been a 14 per cent fall in overall crime, excluding fraud and computer misuse, in the last two years.
Over 1,500 deals lines were shut down in our county lines program. More than 7,400 arrests were made and over 4,000 children and adults have been protected. We must do more.
The government today released a ten year drug strategy. Our focus is on reducing crime, saving lives, and sending a clear message to the criminals – if you peddle these substances across our community, we will come after you with the full force of the law.
Boris Johnson, yesterday spoke out saying that Government’s ten-year drug strategy would turn the tide against the criminal trade that’s “killing kids” (File Image).
Also, this means destroying the criminal and drug supply networks.
Our National Crime Agency’s and police efforts have resulted in drug supplies being confiscated before they reach our shores.
Just last month, the National Crime Agency seized 418kg (922lb) of cocaine found in a lorry with a street value of £33million.
This strategy includes seizing money and assets, and locking up the criminal gangs. In the next three-years, we plan to eliminate over 2000 county lines.
To end the cycle of crime we support drug addiction treatment.
Schools will be supported to prevent early intervention and help vulnerable families and young people.
They will also be referred to treatment if they are sentenced for drug misuse.
To reduce drug consumption and increase supply, we are imposing harsher sanctions on people who do not comply with the law. These so-called “recreational” users will face harsher punishments, including students who recklessly use drugs and don’t realize the crimes they’re supporting or exploiting.
Their actions are directly leading to an increase in violent crime and people dying – but they pay no price.
This will all change. These users will face the most severe legal consequences and penalties, which include criminal sanctions, fines as well as mandatory drug-awareness courses, and removal of passports.
There is no doubt that some people fall for the trap of drugs more than others.
Unfortunately, misuse of public funds is more common among homeless people than it is in cities and towns along the coast, as well as central London boroughs. We must all work together to solve the problem.
Every aspect of state has come together for the first time in many decades to combat crime and drug abuse.
Central government, local government, the police, prisons and probation services, the courts, the education system, the health sector – everyone. This problem must be solved and lives saved.
This is a fight for the nation, in which we go after criminals and support those who are struggling to get clean.