Ipswich Borough Council is the first local authority
Ipswich Borough Council is the first local authority in Suffolk to appoint a substance misuse officer in the war against drugs.
Tibbs Pinter, who is a new member of the Council's Community Safety team, wants to fight the increasing problem of drug-taking and alcohol abuse but also to provide a helping hand to those people trying to escape from its devastating effects.
He said: "I have the strategic responsibility for reducing alcohol and drugs, principally the harm caused by them in the community on a local level. It's looking at Class A drugs' use and ways we can prevent either their uptake or being proactive and looking at harm reduction while working with other agencies."
Tibbs will be visiting local schools to raise awareness of the dangers of substance misuse.
Councillor Paul West, the Borough Council's portfolio-holder for Communities, said he and his colleagues were determined to take real action against the menace of addiction.
"One thing I would like to see is an acknowledgement among those who are in difficulty, that they know Ipswich Borough Council is offering support through Tibbs' post and through working with other agencies in the town. So by raising the profile of our work more people will know help is there when they need it. Drug-users perhaps don't feel there is a way out and our responsibility is to offer help for a way out."
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