“It was a cold wet December afternoon. I was so depressed and I was thinking about trying to kill myself like I had tried in the past as I just couldn’t cope anymore, I needed help. I’d just been to see my GP, but he wouldn’t help me because of my drinking. I had quite a bad drink problem you see. Thing is he didn’t offer me any help to stop drinking either. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn to next to get help I was desperate. It was then a Police Officer saw me and approached me in the street, he knew about all my problems. I couldn’t believe it; he said he could help me, I was then referred to Operation Hotspur.”
Like many people thanks to Operation Hotspur this person got the help she needed when she needed it the most. Operation Hotspur was a two pronged approach between Aberdeenshire Council’s Community Substance Misuse Service (CSMS) and Grampian Police Aberdeenshire Division in order to tackle the impact of substance misuse in North East Communities. By utilising this partnership approach it was the intention to give both a clear message of law enforcement whilst at the same time providing opportunities to those involved in substance misuse to access services, to assist in changing their lifestyle and pursue a journey of recovery. Operation Hotspur has given a number of people the opportunity to not only receive support in addressing their substance misuse issue but any other issues that they may have in their life, which in return has reduced offending behaviour and contact with Police and has enabled them to contribute back into their local community. For the lady mentioned above, she is receiving support for her alcohol issues, is receiving treatment for her depression, is looking for employment and feels that she is now in control of her life and can see she has a future. In her own words, she owes Operation Hotspur her life.
PLANNING / · a clear rationale, defined processes and focus on stakeholder needs· contributes to organisation’s goals and addresses current or emerging challenges
It has been identified that within Aberdeenshire 85% of all crime is related to alcohol or other drugs. An officer from Peterhead CID and a CSMS Care Manager recognised that by the two agencies working together in partnership, the route cause of offending could be addressed and access to substance misuse services could be improved. It was through this joint working that a unique referral process for those with substance misuse issues was adopted for CID officers in the North of Aberdeenshire.
It was quickly acknowledged that with this new process, an improvement in terms of not only rehabilitation but Police and partner agency priorities could be achieved. It was then a strategy was drawn up of how Aberdeenshire could respond to the issues of substance misuse and offending. This strategy was named Operation Hotspur.
The agreed targeted outcomes for Operation Hotspur were three fold;
1. Safer communities that are free from harm due to drugs and drug related offending,
2. Helping those in difficulty with substance misuse and those who wish to gain access to support
3. Ensuring healthier members of communities with fewer risks associated with substance misuse.
A funding bid was made to Aberdeenshire’s Alcohol Drug Partnership (ADP) and £20,000 was secured. A further bid for funding was made internally by Grampian Police as part of the force priority to tackle Serious and Organised crime where a further £12,880 was secured. In total £32,880 was spent on the operation.
It was agreed that these outcomes were to be met by an integrated partnership working of the CSMS and Police. This joint provision was one of a referral based service where staff worked as a pivotal point towards a ‘one stop shop’. Operation Hotspur targeted those who led chaotic lives and persistently offended.
These clients lead to a higher risk of abuse and illness or drug and alcohol related deaths. These statistics then lead to higher problems for other services. Operation Hotspur therefore works towards a risk reducing method of approach in order to effectively manage other services resources. In order for a client with addiction to be supported in full recovery the total economic and social cost per problematic drug user in 2006 was identified as being £60,703. By using this unique approach it was determined that a number of those that regularly offend due to their problems with either drugs or alcohol would be able to break the cycle of substance misuse, enhance their quality of life and be able to contribute to their local community. The partners involved with Operation Hotspur wished to ensure that at least 10% of those individuals that came into contact with the Police whilst the operation was in progress would take up the opportunity to engage with the CSMS.
DELIVERING / · implemented in all relevant areas and across all the required stakeholders· carried out in a structured and logical way , using robust and sustainable methods
Operation Hotspur was to be trialled over 6 days of action over a 5 month period within North Aberdeenshire only, and the dates identified were done so to ensure that there were adequate staff members available for both the Police and CSMS in order to ensure the operation ran as expected.
On the days that Operation Hotspur was being delivered CSMS staff were easily accessible in order to meet the needs of clients identified with substance misuse problems within their local communities and who were in agreement with the referral being made.
The CSMS provided support immediately on a person-centred basis. To add to the exclusivity of Operation Hotspur, when officers were not directly involved with enforcement, cold calling was instigated with persons identified as being on the fringes of substance misuse. They were offered the same level of access to the support network. Following the first phase of the Operation it was identified that due to the success in terms of referrals into the CSMS and of warrants executed it was agreed that the period would be extended and to also cover all Aberdeenshire areas, not just the North. Since the initial phase of Operation Hotspur results have been evaluated and ways in which the process could be developed have been identified in order to continuously improve service delivery.
In total 56 warrants were served within Aberdeenshire throughout phase one of Operation Hotspur. 48 people were referred to substance misuse services. Taking into consideration that partnership working like this has never been done before, the fact that there were issues with trust and motives behind as to why the Police and CSMS were working together from substance misusing individuals and the fact that boundaries still needed to be broken down the final results exceeded our planned levels of up take
.INNOVATION + LEADING PRACTICE / · Demonstrates leading practice, and is capable of replication elsewhere· Achieves genuine innovation or new ways of working
The partnership working of Operation Hotspur is unique to Grampian Police Aberdeenshire Division and the CSMS and has not been carried out as yet in other areas of Grampian. Other local authorities within Scotland are developing partnership working with local Police forces but none are believed to be at the stage as what it is in Aberdeenshire.
This unique piece of collaborative working has been identified as good practice and has been recognised by the Scottish Justice Minister. Following the initial phase of Operation Hotspur ways in which the process could be developed were identified and implemented. Once this unique process is running smoothly within Aberdeenshire it is expected to be rolled out to Aberdeen City and Moray.
Even though Operation Hotspur was about addressing substance misuse in North East Communities it primarily focused on those involved in illegal drugs and drug related offending. However on reflection it was identified that those with alcohol problems are of equal importance, therefore both areas of substance misuse are to be given the same attention and access to services by the Police.
Substance misuse not only has an impact on the individual who is using the substance but also on those closest to them. This unique referral system therefore has been expanded to allow the Police to offer referral to the CSMS for significant others in order to receive support in dealing with their loved ones substance misuse problem. These referrals on there own can assist and prevent others from the inevitable worsening of personal, family and community situations which bring health, criminal justice, economic and housing costs to a range of organisations.
On a day to day basis all Police officers within Aberdeenshire are now able to refer an individual with their consent direct to the CSMS and are encouraged to embrace this referral process as part of their routine duties. Until now an arrest referral system was only available on a weekend if someone was in custody and only in the North of Aberdeenshire. All Police Officers now have access to CSMS staff for support and advice on substance misuse and any other related issues. The referral process is also to be expanded to Road Traffic and also Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers so they can also refer people to the CSMS.
RESULTS + IMPACT / · a convincing mix of customer and internal performance measures· demonstrates how better outcomes are being achieved
· a full range of relevant results– either already achieved or with potential to deliver over time
The take up rate of those accepting referral from the Police was approximately 50%, a figure which far exceeded the initial expectations of all those involved in the planning of the operation. Of the 48 that were referred 3 people were already open to the service, 1 person was from out with Aberdeenshire but was referred on to substance misuse services in their area, 12 people took up the opportunity and the remainder failed to engage with the service. Taking in to consideration the figure mentioned earlier of what it cost in 2006 for problematic drug user should those that engaged with the service successfully rehabilitate then there could be a potential saving of up to £728,436. These savings can only be of benefit to the communities of Aberdeenshire.
It is not however just about the impact financially but the impact it has on individuals involved and the local community. Operation Hotspur has had a positive impact on reducing the risk of child protection, domestic abuse and adult support and protection. Operation Hotspur removed in excess of £15,000 of illegal drugs which included Crack Cocaine, Diazepam, Amphetamine, Methadone and other controlled drugs from the streets of Aberdeenshire. The 12 individuals have been given the opportunity to access support in order to address their substance misuse issues and to make positive changes to their life style. These people have seen to be involved in less recorded crime and no longer feature in intelligence logs related to their involvement in drug or alcohol related crime.
It has become apparent to Police officers involved that by being able to offer offenders the opportunity to break the cycle of drug or alcohol misuse there have been increased engagement and less hostility towards Police Officers. People have heard about this unique referral process and have attended Police Offices to request that a referral be made to the CSMS.
Through Operation Hotspur it has shown that a pro active joint approach between Grampian Police and the CSMS can help increase the probability of clients breaking the vicious cycle of committing crime due to their substance misuse issue. Despite officers now having the basic referral process to refer people in to the CSMS, unfortunately neither Grampian Police nor the CSMS have the time or resources to be able to offer the intense pro active joint approach which gets the better results on a day to day basis but only in planned operations. However it is being considered about introducing a specialist team of a Police Officer and CSMS Care Manager who would take a more active approach in engaging individuals. The team would target those that are more chaotic, who are less likely to engage with services, those who are regularly committing crime and those who are at higher risk on a day to day basis increasing the probability that people will engage long term with services, begin their recovery journey, in return reducing offending behaviour and make the communities of Aberdeenshire a safer place.
Operation Hotspur was very recently recognised by the Grampian Police Excellence awards being highly commended for its work by Chief Constable Colin McKerracher.
COSLA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013 Page | 2
COSLA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013 Page | 2