Video: New town centre charity will aim to slash crime rates

Offices on Hardy Street in Worksop are to be turned into a support centre for drug users.

The Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI), which is based in Brighton but has offices all over the UK, will move into the ground floor of the Crown House building later this year.

Crown House is situated on the corner of Newcastle Avenue and Hardy Street and is currently home to Notts Police Authority.

The move comes after Notts County Council’s public health committee decided to move substance misuse services away from local GPs and entrust them with the non-profit charity.

The council said this would ensure ‘evidence-based and consistent services’ are put in place, resulting in fewer people requiring treatment and support for drugs and alcohol.

But John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, slammed the proposals- claiming the council was ‘privatising’ medical services in the county.

He said: “Since they started running drug misuse services a decade ago, Bassetlaw Hospital has seen a dramatic fall in drug addict admissions and have saved £500,000 a year.”

“I trust local doctors and health professionals to run the NHS and this privatisation, like others, will be a total disaster.” But Notts County Council has insisted the service is not being privatised, as users will not have to pay for treatment with the CRI.

Coun Joyce Bosnjak said: “We are looking at a new and innovative way of doing things better, and central to that is the principle of recovery over treatment.”