Loughborough University is part of a new £1.8m project to evaluate police-led diversion (PDD) schemes for drug-involved suspects. He is part of a consortium of academic, policing, health and service user partners who will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the PDD schemes already operating. The researchers will use data collected by the police, NHS, and drug treatment services to assess the impacts of diversion on crime, hospitalisations and engagement with drug treatment. Interviews and focus groups will also be carried out with people who work with PDD schemes, including police officers, drug treatment providers, service users and their families, to help analyse how the schemes work in practice. Speaking about the project, Dr Monaghan said: “This is a timely project that will add to the evidence-base for alternatives to criminalisation for drug possession.

Source: The Times September 05, 2022 19:45 UTC