Positive Results Claimed For Project Adder
The drugs-related programme known as Project ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement, Recovery), under which £5m of Home Office funds is being targeted on the town of Hastings over a period of two and a half years, marked its first anniversary at the beginning of this month. Both East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Sussex Police claim that the stated aims of the programme – to reduce the volume of deaths, criminal activities and anti-social behaviour related to drug-taking – are being met.
A press release issued by the council states that 70 people in Hastings are currently being supported through drug treatment interventions; there have been reductions in the number of unplanned exits from treatment, and also in
the number of people receiving opiate substitute therapy who are not using illicit opiates on top.
CREDIT: Dave Young
Welcoming the results, Cllr Carl Maynard, East Sussex County Council lead member for adult social care and health, said: “Hastings sadly has one of the highest drug-related death rates in the country, but the work being made possible by Project ADDER funding has enabled us and our partner organisations to have a positive influence on the issues related to drug use in the town.
“By working together to tackle drug-related crime and harm, I am confident we will continue to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people in Hastings.”
Sussex Police reported that, so far under Project ADDER, they have completed 578 drug seizures, taken 368 weapons off the streets including 172 knives and seized £45,719 in cash. They also claim to have shut down a number of local county lines drug networks and disrupted 30 organised crime groups.
Inspector Aidan Cornwall of the Hastings Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Project ADDER has made a real difference in tackling drug supply in Hastings. Since April 2021 we’ve executed nearly 50 search warrants in the town and arrested dozens of persons on suspicion of drug trafficking offences.
“We’ve been able to deploy officers in plain clothes on a regular basis and we are seeing an increase in support being provided by our partners for people struggling with drug addiction.”
Hastings is one of 13 towns across the country funded under the project, which will run for a further year and a half.
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