Recommendation 62

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted in Part

Most police forces in England and Wales already have a range of options at their disposal, for instance via Out of Court Disposal (OOCD) pathways. These routes offer approaches based on the operational judgement of forces. Where appropriate, forces have the option to use such pathways to deliver meaningful consequences, such as treatment or education. As committed to in the Drug Strategy, we will soon be rolling out pilots to expand the use of OOCDs within a small number of forces for drug possession offences, and to better understand efficacy of educational interventions for offenders. As part of the OOCD expansion pilots project, the Home Office also aims to establish a more detailed national picture of OOCDs, by examining their provision in all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. The pilot will also support work to develop immediate justice as a sanction police could place on drug users. The overall programme of work on OOCDs will provide valuable evidence base for future policy approaches, so that we can ensure the OOCD pathways provide best possible outcomes for communities and for offenders. We welcome the increasing adoption of trauma-informed approaches by UK police forces. As drug use—particularly problematic or chronic drug use, can often be a consequence of trauma—we conclude that trauma- informed policing should be extended to situations involving drug use. We believe that this aligns with the Government’s commitment to adopting a whole system response to drugs outlined in the 10-Year Drugs Strategy.