Wakefield: Project ADDER nets nearly £2.2m drugs haul and 65 arrests

Hundreds of drug users in Wakefield have been helped, police said

Drugs worth almost £2.2m have been seized and 65 arrests made as part of a government-backed project in Wakefield.

Since it launched last year, Project ADDER has also helped 514 people receive treatment for substance abuse.

A Home Office spokesperson said the scheme aimed to "break the cycle of drug addiction [and] rid the streets of drug dealing and narcotics abuse".

Wakefield councillor Maureen Cummings said the initiative has resulted in a "hugely positive change".

Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) was launched in Wakefield in July 2021 with £1.67m of government funding.

Ms Cummings, Wakefield Council's lead for communities, said: "By tackling drug misuse head on and supporting people into recovery, we are changing lives for the better and helping them back to a sustainable life through positive peer networks, work training and employment opportunities."

Ch Insp Chris Raby of West Yorkshire Police said: "To make a long-term change, we need to help those already in need and deter people from becoming drug users or involved in the production and supply process."

Project ADDER, extended to 2024, also runs in Blackpool, Hastings, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Swansea, Bristol, Newcastle, Knowsley, Wirral and Liverpool, as well as the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the scheme is helping people trapped in the despair of addiction to build "new and brighter" futures.