Setting the Scene COMMENTS AND REFLECTIONS Marcus Roberts, Chief Executive, DrugScope

‘one additional point that I would make is if you look at where so much of the burglary, so much of the car crime is coming from, it is actually coming from people who are addicted to drugs. I think we've got to be much faster at getting drug addicts off the streets and into treatment. And all too often, that doesn't happen. And even when it does today, they get put on a substitute drug … We must be mad as a country not to get people into that residential rehab to get them to clean up their lives, so we cut the crime on our own streets.’

… detecting and preventing future drug epidemics is paramount … for crime reduction, it is crucial to maintain a focus on heroin/crack, despite the higher prevalence of other illicit drugs like cannabis, powder cocaine and ecstasy, and the emergence of new psychoactive substances. Specifically, it remains important to identify the minority of heroin/crack users who commit large volumes of crime during addiction periods. If that can be done … the potential for further reductions in crime remains significant.

Shape of the sector

“That means benefits paid …. should go to support the wellbeing of their families not to feed their destructive habits. To that end, conference, today I can stand here and announce to you that I am going to start testing prepaid cards onto which we will make benefit payments so that the money they receive is spent on the needs of the family, finally helping I believe to break the cycle of poverty for families on the margins.

‘Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will’