In the UK, the government announced that new resources will be allocated for the rehabilitation and treatment of 300,000 drug users involved in various crimes. Prime Minister Johnson announced the new plan on the subject at the police raid he attended in Liverpool.
According to the 10-year strategy prepared, 780 million pounds will be allocated for treatment for drug addiction in the UK.
The plan also includes spending £300m to fight the more than 2,000 drug gangs in the countryside.
The government also stated that some drug users’ driver’s licenses and passports could be confiscated.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was involved in the police raids called “Operation Toxic” in the city of Liverpool and explained the government’s new plan with the police uniform he wore in the operation.
Johnson said that they will take very drastic measures against gangs in rural areas, 1500 gangs have already been destroyed, and 2,000 of them are targeted.
The Ministry of Interior informed that the 300 thousand drug users targeted for treatment within the scope of the plan are responsible for approximately half of the crimes of theft.
The opposition Labor Party, on the other hand, stated that the planned steps were “too late” and criticized that the cuts in the police budget gave the gangs an opportunity.
The new strategy announced will provide funding for treatment and rehabilitation to all local governments in England. Priority will be given to the 50 municipalities with the greatest need.
The strategy addresses drug addiction as a “chronic health problem.” Dimensions such as the access of substance addicts to housing opportunities and the problem of unemployment are also addressed in the plan.
BBC Correspondent Mark Easton comments that the new budget allocated could open a new era in the fight against drugs. However, Easton also assesses that pressure from voters to take “hard steps” may lead to drug busts instead of “silent” but effective steps such as treatment and resuscitation.