Special Networking Event Held By East Area’s Operation Adder Team.

A special networking event was held last week at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club run by East Area’s Operation Adder that tackles substance abuse.

The team held a networking event with partners from across Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge to discuss the importance of collaborative working to reduce the production and consumption of drugs and to assist those who suffer with addiction or have suffered due to drug related surroundings.

What is Operation ADDER?

A – Addiction
D – Diversion
D – Disruption
E – Enforcement
R – Recovery

The event brought local charities and services from across all three boroughs together to share their insights on how they can support those in need. Specialist units from within the Metropolitan police such as the dog unit, licensing team, faith and LGBT+ community liaison officers and the dedicated drug focus desk all demonstrated how they work to reduce drug related deaths, to reduce drug related offending and to disrupt organised crime groups involved in drug and firearms supply.

Inspector Kevin Weeks, Sergeant Danny Eliot and PC Ian Cornell make up East Area’s Op Adder team and they work tirelessly across all three boroughs delivering subject specific OP Adder training packages as well as taking part in policing operations in busy town centres offering referrals to those on the streets who may need intervention. The Op Adder team can then divert those people to support services who can assist each person individually.

Head of Operation Adder, Detective Superintendent Sean Lyon’s said:

“Project ADDER operates at the intersection of drugs, local treatment services/partners, policing, health and criminal justice.
They are specialist police teams, working across all 32 boroughs, to better connect the local policing teams with treatment services, health and criminal justice partners to deliver a joined up response to London’s drugs challenges.
“Project ADDER London seeks to target the illegal drug market, working in collaboration with key partners across health, local authorities, prisons, probation and 3rd sector organisations by reducing harm to individuals and communities, through treatment and recovery from addiction, and by reducing demand for drugs as well as the relentless and uncompromising pursuit of those at every level of the drugs supply chain.
Through Project ADDER, the MPS are able to work more closely with partners than ever before in tackling the drugs challenge, acting as a conduit into Combating Drugs Partnerships. It is through these partnerships that local stakeholders are able to demonstrate the success possible by bringing enforcement, treatment and recovery efforts together to focus on areas of greatest need. This sees police officers, drug treatment and recovery staff, housing officers, prison and probation officers, mental health service staff, youth offending staff, family key workers, employment support workers and teachers joining forces in a way that has never been done before, achieving more trust, less crime and higher standards both internally and externally.”

Thank you to all Partner agencies who attended today – SWITCH (Lifeline Project), Shannon Trust, Drug and Alcohol services – Redbridge, NELFT (North East London NHG Foundation Trust), Dependency and Recovery London, Lifeline Projects, ANTIDOTE – London Friends and CGL (Change, Grow, Live).

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