West Midlands custody addiction support programme to continue
£1.3m boost to Arrest Referral Service aims to cut reoffending and help thousands facing drug and alcohol addiction
A pioneering programme supporting people in police custody across the West Midlands who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction has been extended for another three years.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has announced £1.3 million in funding to continue the Arrest Referral Service, which supports around 5,000 people a year.
The scheme is delivered by charities Cranstoun and St Giles Trust, and uses volunteers with lived experience of addiction and the criminal justice system to help people break the cycle of reoffending.
Since launching in 2020, the programme is credited with saving millions of pounds in public money and reducing demand on police resources, while also helping people rebuild their lives.
Across the West Midlands’ seven custody suites, staff say the approach is having a significant impact by linking people to treatment, housing and wider support at a critical point.
Rob Thompsell, Volunteer Coordinator for St Giles, said lived experience helps build trust and understanding. Rob said: “They’ve lived that journey, they’ve experienced the issues and challenges so they can provide that support to the individuals. They’ve walked in those shoes and that’s really powerful.”
Rob added: “We’re providing short term and long term support for those individuals – whether that be going to appointments, being on the end of the telephone or that face-to-face individual to talk through any particular issues they might be facing.”
Emma Christina-Richards, Criminal Justice Service Manager for Cranstoun, said the approach helps people open up in custody:“When they engage with us, what they like is we’re not in uniform, we come to them plain clothes and we’re there just to talk. They know they are not talking to an officer.”
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said the service shows the importance of early intervention, adding: “Custody can be a critical turning point in someone’s life. The Arrest Referral Service meets people at that moment and offers real support.”