Bracknell

Bracknell Forest Borough Council is hosting an inaugural conference to help tackle the issues around drugs in the community.

Bracknell Council is hosting the first conference of its type for local partners including the police, fire service and housing associations to learn about how we can all work together to prevent the misuse of drugs in the community and learn about how to report and target areas of substance misuse.

The conference will be opened by Timothy Wheadon, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest Borough Council after which there will be a series of workshops and talks from the various agencies.

Presentations at the event will include:

* How to identify drug issues and prevent them and the role of the drug enforcement team;
* Information exchange and working closely with partner agencies;
* CADIS - a mapping system for targeting areas where drugs have been reported;
* Drug treatment and the services available in Bracknell Forest.

Grosvenor International Services (GIS), who specialise in public venue door security, will also attend with a dog used around the area for passive drug searches. The dog's sensitive sense of smell will be put to the test in demonstrations.

Cllr Peter North, Executive Member for Emergency Services and Community Safety at Bracknell Forest Borough Council, said: "This joint conference is the first of its kind in the area and all the relevant agencies who help tackle drug issues will be able to learn from one another about the best ways to work.

"Bracknell Forest has a low level of drug related issues and we must keep it that way. We'll be finetuning how we identify and map areas with drug issues and take enforcement action.

"The opening of New Hope in July has been a major asset in tackling substance misuse and drug related crime. The centre has already seen 142 people and drug related crime is reducing."

Council officers from housing, trading standards and rangers as well as members of the tenant and leaseholder panel and the police will be at the event to share information on how to keep substance misuse to a minimum in the Bracknell area.

To report a drug related incident call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council ~ 17 November 2005