Making a difference to the people of Rainham

Mike O'Brien launches DAAT week in Chatham High Street

Mike was given the pleasure of opening the DAAT week in Chatham High Street this week, here is his opening speech : Hello I am Cllr Mike O'Brien, Medway Council's Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Enforcement....

I am delighted to be here today to launch this year's Medway Drug and Alcohol Awareness week.

Since its formation a year ago Medway Drug and Alcohol Action Team has been working hard to ensure the right services are in place for people who, for whatever reason, have become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

But its role goes beyond that. Medway DAAT brings together council, police and NHS staff with the ultimate aim of reducing drug related crime and to assist drug users into treatment.

The work of Medway DAAT - like the SOS bus - is a great example of the sort of partnership work going on in Medway to ensure it is a better place for everyone.

Schemes like Safe Exit, set up through Medway DAAT, have not only proved a huge success in tackling on-street prostitution in the New Road area Chatham but also in disrupting the drugs trade that feeds it.

Over the next five days the Medway DAAT team will be taking the SOS bus on a tour of town centres and schools across Medway to educate people of all ages about the danger of drugs and alcohol.

It will also give residents a chance to talk about drug related issues in their area and find out more about what DAAT and the other agencies which make up the Medway Community Safety Partnership are doing to help.

The impact of addiction affects not only drugs users themselves, but also their families, their friends, the communities in which they live."

I hope that residents will take the opportunity to climb aboard this week and meet the team and get the kind of advice, and support that might save someone's life.