On your left, from left to right you can see Chief Inspector David Scott, Fife Constabulary, Jane Martin, Service Manager Criminal Justice Service and Depute Justice Minister Dr Richard Simpson

Councillor Andrew Keddie, Chair of Fife’s Community Safety Committee said: “Fife’s Community Safety Committee welcomes the introduction of a pilot drug court in Fife. I am confident that the drug court will prove to be as successful as the Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.

“Tackling drug and alcohol abuse and reducing levels of offending are key components of the Community Safety Strategy. The piloting of the drug court provides an opportunity to develop approaches to working with drug dependent offenders and will play a major role in helping to break the pattern of drug misuse and offending in Fife. “

A report on the pilot drug court will go before elected members at the next meeting of the Community Safety Committee next Wednesday 28 August 2002.

Jane Martin, Head of Fife Council’s Criminal Justice Service said: “Criminal Justice Services have worked extremely hard to develop a range of alternatives to custody for drug-related offenders and the pilot drug court will help all the agencies involved develop a more coordinated response to an issue which affects all of Fife’s communities.

Fife is unique in that the drug court will be running in urban and rural areas and we recognise that the problems associated with drug related offences are not confined to inner-cities.”

Fife Constabulary has a key role in terms of ensuring the security of the Court, updating Criminal Intelligence and taking charge of anyone given a custodial sentence. A Police Constable has been appointed as the Drug Court Police Officer.

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