Promising Practices Conference
Police Scotland’s Substance Harm Prevention Team hosted the Promising Practices conference in Stirling on Monday 3 November, ahead of Addiction Awareness Week which starts 23 November.
A key focus for the day was around reducing the stigma of substance abuse and how police and partner organisations could improve engagement with people with an addiction and with their families.
The event was attended by persons with lived experience, members of the Drugs Strategy Board, Scottish Police Authority, HMICS, and officers of all ranks across all local divisions
Attendees heard from those with lived experience of substance abuse and considered how trauma-informed approaches could be brought into their own working practices.
The event also heard about current drugs trends and emerging threats through analysis of the drugs markets in Scotland, and some of the investigation and enforcement activity aimed at taking harmful substances off the streets.
Local policing divisions highlighted work with partner agencies to support individuals at risk of substance abuse aimed at preventing re-offending and reducing harm to communities.
Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about trauma-informed approaches and consider how these could be brought into their own work.
Addiction Awareness Week focuses on addiction and recovery, its impact on people, families and society. It challenges misunderstanding and enables more people to speak openly about their experiences, by spotlighting real experience of addiction through new research and events.
Policing Together Supt Joanne McEwan praised delegates for their collective work towards collaborative harm reduction in Scotland and highlighted the opportunities to build upon the success of the day.
She said: "Our shared goal is simple, it is to reduce the harm that substance abuse causes to individuals and to our communities.
"We can only do this by working with our communities and by recognising that addiction is a health issue, it affects people from all walks of life, it does not discriminate, and it is not a moral failing.
"This event was an opportunity to highlight the broad range of work carried out across policing, ranging from action to catch those who sell drugs and earn huge profits from the misery of addiction to multiagency work within local divisions to support individuals and prevent reoffending.
"There is more to do but Police Scotland remains committed to working collaboratively with partners and people with lived and living experiences to reduce the harms and tragic loss of life as a result of drugs."
