SOME 90 professionals representing a variety of organisations met in Crewe to discuss future plans for cracking down on drugs.

The meeting featured representatives from the police and health services, educational institutions and local councils and the main topic was how to spend £1.3 million, which has been awarded to help tackle drugs next year.

The representatives make up the Cheshire Drugs Action Team and other members include people from public sector organisations and the voluntary sector

Vice Chair, Assistant Chief Constable Graeme Gerrard, said the day had been extremely useful: "The Government has asked us to develop a number of drugs policies to tackle illegal drug taking in Cheshire and the meeting was to get an update and consider our priorities for the future."

Assistant Chief Constable Gerrard explained the Drugs Action team is to concentrate on four main stages: "These are to reduce the flow of drugs, improve education, support families of drug addicts and improve treatment of addicts."

Among the various plans for the coming year the police will be targeting schools in order to educate potential drug takers and will target communities that need help.

"We will aim to identify the communities which are suffering from drug problems and swamp them with police officers," he continued.

"Also, if we do not do something about the environment then new dealers will move in, so we need to get rid of all these dark corners where street lighting is not working and increase the visible police presence.

"We want to give local people the confidence in terms of reporting incidents."

The members of the team also heard presentations from former drug users, which gave an insight for some of the professionals.

"People do not fully understand because they themselves are not drug users but we had some very good presentations from drug users," Assistant Chief Constable Gerrard added.

Other work to be prioritised will be the provision of more treatment for addicts and more accessible help for younger people.

The Drug Team will now use the day's presentations as a basis for developing Cheshire's drugs strategy for the coming year and can now plan and consider our priorities.

Chief Constable Gerrard concluded: "This is not just a police issue, a health issue or an education issue but it is an issue for all of us and we have to work together.

"It was a very useful conference and it shows that a multi-agency approach is needed all working together to try and improve the drugs situation in Cheshire."

The £1.3 million in funding is set to increase in the following two years.