THE first meeting has taken place at North Wales Police’s HQ in Colwyn Bay of a new body aiming to raise awareness of current prevention and harm reduction thinking regarding substance misuse.

The Preventing and Reducing Harm Forum is chaired by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, and has been created at the request of the North Wales Area Planning Board.

The forum brings together the key organisations working to reduce harm in communities across North Wales.

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It will be managed on a day-to-day basis by Kirsty Brooke, who is part of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Harm Reduction Team.

Each local authority, as well as probation services, police, and the third sector will be represented on the forum.

The plan is that it will use multi-agency working practices, share good practice and problem solve to ensure the principles of prevention and harm reduction are an integral part of all service delivery in the region.

It will meet on a quarterly basis to provide a forum for discussion and the agreement of common actions in preventing and reducing harm, taking a public health approach to the issue.

It will also develop and support joint policies, programmes, services and actions that work to improve the health, social and economic wellbeing of individuals, communities and society that are associated with the use of drugs and alcohol.

Another key area of its work will be to monitor emerging trends relating to substance use across North Wales; identify and implement appropriate multi-agency action plans and responses.

A further part of its work will be to monitor the North Wales Local Drug Information System, Take Home Naloxone Programme, and Needle and Syringe Programme on behalf of the Area Planning Board Executive and report on progress and any key issues.

The forum builds on other activity in the area of harm reduction and prevention.

For example, in June last year, Mr Dunbobbin was invited to appear before the Home Affairs Select Committee to discuss the police’s approach to combatting drug crime in North Wales.

The hearing was part of the committee’s inquiry into illegal drug use and its effects on society and the economy.

He spoke as part of a panel of Police and Crime Commissioners to stress the importance of partnership working to tackle drug misuse and reduce harm.

Mr Dunbobbin said: “As chair, I am pleased to see the launch of new Preventing and Reducing Harm Forum, which I hope will make a real difference in co-ordinating the approach to tackling substance misuse across North Wales.

“It’s important that we have representation from a range of services on the forum in the fight against substance misuse.

"We need to look at the whole gamut of services from housing, health and social services, to probation and policing.

“This focus on prevention is key as it reduces the impact on a community and lowers demand on already stretched public services.”