A Night on the Tiles

James Brokenshire recounts his night shadowing the London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police as they respond to the drink-related problems of a Friday night on the streets of London.

The problems of alcohol fuelled crime and drink related illness have become ever clearer. The statistics speak for themselves. But it is the human cost and the cost on society that these numbers often fail to get across. And the pressures that excessive alcohol consumption places on our emergency services.

Last night I saw some of this myself. Spending the night criss-crossing London with the specialist team from the Metropolitan Police's clubs and vice unit responding to crime problems linked to licensed premises. Sitting with the paramedics from the London Ambulance Service in the back of their ‘booze bus' as they pick up the human pieces of those whose night on the town ends up with a night on a trolley in A&E.

My abiding memory from the night is the professionalism and good humour of those at the sharp end of dealing with binge boozing. Despite the fact that the work is constant and that resources are stretched they get on with the job of keeping people safe and helping those for whom it all gets too much.

I'm told I will need a strong stomach for the night. And this is tested soon enough. A girl sits in the back of the special alcohol ambulance. She is distraught. She's been sick. She is sobbing and she is incoherent. She can't be older than her late teens. She claims her drink has been spiked. The reality is that it is simply down to alcohol and that if drugs had been involved she wouldn't even be responding as much as she is.

As she sobs, she unburdens her problems at home, at work and her lack of self-esteem. In many ways alcohol is this young girl's means of blocking all of this out. But it masks much more deep-seated problems of which tonight's distressing episode is just one symptom. She has underlying health problems and is transported to St Thomas's Hospital to be checked out. My depressing feeling is that it won't be too long before this sad episode repeats itself again.

As we head back into town we are directed to a London bendy-bus which has pulled up on the side of the street. The driver reports an old man slumped on one of the seats at the back unconscious. There is a strong smell of urine. With compassion the London Ambulance team gently wakes him and tells him that it's time to get off. Eventually, disorientated and slightly dishevelled the man in his sixties is guided to the doors. With no need of emergency care, the man stumbles off into the night. The paramedics can do no more even though the stench of booze and his demeanour point to the fact that he is an alcoholic.

We get a call from the police. They are about to respond to an urgent call from an outer London borough after a brawl has broken out at a club. I change vehicles from the booze bus ambulance to an unmarked police car and we speed out through the late night traffic. When we arrive the scene has been cordoned off with the familiar blue and white police tape. Forensics are being taken inside. A small crowd of young men is hanging around and a contingent of uniformed police officers lines the streets. It's reported that someone has been ‘glassed' in the face with a bottle inside the club. There are spots of blood on the pavement. We're told it's the second problem this venue has had in as many nights.

The vice unit have been called to provide specialist support to the duty police inspector managing the incident on the legal options for obtaining a closure of the club. After discussions, the manager agrees to shut for the night voluntarily and is advised that a closure tomorrow would also be in order. He needs to talk to his superiors from the large company that owns the venue. As the discussions continue, another scuffle breaks out further down the road from a couple of guys whose self-control has gone out of the window after getting tanked up all night.

It's suggested that pay day may have promoted more problems. The reality is that it's a pay out for all of us every night in dealing with the social and human consequences of alcohol. The ambulance team leave a leaflet with everyone they pick up on the booze bus. It highlights that every 999 call out for having had one drink too many costs around two hundred pounds. That's with out taking account of the police and all of the other costs linked to binge boozing - or the fact call out to someone sozzled by drink is taking an ambulance away from someone who may be seriously ill or injured. With 60,000 calls last year this leaving a growing financial hangover and we are all picking up the tab.

The romantic view of London is one where the streets are paved with gold. If last night is anything to go by, the reality is very different. London's streets are more likely to be paved with bodily fluids and broken glass. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who are prepared pick up the pieces. It's been an eye opening night for me, but for our emergency services there is nothing unusual in what I've seen. For them this is business as usual. For me it says a lot if this is now the norm for a night out on the town.

Alcohol's Hidden Harms

The real cost of Britain's binge drinking culture are becoming ever clearer. The alcohol fuelled violent crime and loutish behaviour which blight many town centres. The increasing pressures on hospital A&E departments dealing with those injured or seriously intoxicated by excessive drinking. The rising death rates where alcohol was a contributory factor.

But there are other harms too. At last week's Conservative Women's Organisation (CWO) mini-conference in Grantham, a highly informed panel featuring representatives from Nottinghamshire Police, Lincolnshire NHS and the YWCA underlined other significant hidden harms. Young women at greater risk of falling victim to sexual assault when drunk, increased risks of domestic violence in the home environment, links to underlying mental health issues, inter-generational drug dependency and wider symptoms of social deprivation.

It was a genuine pleasure to take part in the discussions and hear more about some of the excellent community based work that is taking place. What it underlined to me was the need for a comprehensive approach to dealing with the binge boozing culture. That's why Conservative plans for targeted taxes on those products most closely linked to binge drinking, a ban on alcohol being sold below cost and giving communities much greater say over licences in their area including the right to impose a ‘late night levy' on bars and off-licences staying open late into the night are really needed.

The Government's latest retreat on 24 hour drinking by saying that they would ban alcohol licences between 3-6am underlines that Labour are part of the problem not the solution. Simply focussing on a handful of all night bars won't deal with the serious underlying societal problems linked to alcohol. Half measures have been the hallmark of this Government. We can't go on like this when the costs to society in dealing with excessive alcohol consumption continue to grow.

Teen Drug Treatment

I am deeply disturbed by the news that the Middlegate Lodge drug rehabilitation centre for children is on the brink of closure.  Middlegate is virtually the only centre providing residential rehab services for children and teenagers in the UK.  The Sun recently carried an excellent article highlighting the work of Middlegate and the unique service it offers: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2840250/Battle-to-keep-open-unit-rehabilitating-addict-children.html

The problem for Middlegate is that it is hardly receiving any referrals as the current funding system fails to promote residential rehabilitation services and an outcome based approach of getting addicts drug free.  Instead the focus is on how may people are in treatment rather than how many people are leaving treatment drug free - the current level completing their treatment free of addiction is currently a meagre 4%.  Where rehab services are provided, the emphasis is simply on community based provision. 

There should be an important place for abstinence based residential rehab within the commissioning framework for drug services.  For Middlegate - the UKs only residential home for children addicted to drink and drugs - to find itself in its current precarious financial position is a sad parable of just how badly the current system is failing.

Dodgy DNA Dossier

 I appeared on Channel 4 News this week highlighting incorrect evidence provided by the Government on DNA retention.  In a letter to the Parliamentary committee considering the Government's Crime and Security Bill, the Home Office submitted a letter providing details of five case studies purporting to highlight that these cases would not have been solved under more limited retention of DNA profiles of those not convicted of an offence.  The problem was I discovered that there were actually four cases rather than five.  The details are set out in the C4 report.

Prison Plan Ditched

It's good news that the Ministry of Justice has called off plans to build a huge new prison at Beam Park on the border with Havering.  The site had already been moved once after the incredible community campaign that saw thousands marching through the streets of Rainham to say no to the Rainham jail plan.  The Government has apparently decided that the cost of flood alleviation on the Beam Park site meant that it was no longer affordable.  The odd thing is that this should have been apparent from the outset.  The area is identified by the Environment Agency as being at risk of flooding. 

My own feeling is that the Government got cold feet knowing how unpopular the prison proposals were in both Rainham and in adjacent Dagenham and knowing that this would be an important issue in the general election campaign just weeks away.  Whatever the reasons, the challenge now is to get on with the regeneration of this part of the Thames Gateway corridor.  The area desperately needs new skilled employment opportunities.  The prison was holding this back.  Now that this uncertainty has finally gone and with the Kingsway International Christian Centre 'mega chuch' appeal having been rejected, the opportunity is there.  For the future of Rainham and the surrounding area, this needs to be taken.

Fire Station Opening

Havering has a new fire station.  I had the pleasure of joining Mayor of London Boris Johnson and other community leaders at the opening of the new fire station in Harold Hill.  It is an impressive state of the art facility and will be a significant addition to local fire services.  In recent years Havering's response times for fire call outs have not been as good as they should be. The new fire officers and resources at Harold Hill will make an important contribution to improving performance across the borough.

Noise Consultation

The public consultation on London City Airport's Noise Reduction Plan closed on Friday.  The plan sets out proposals to mitigate the effects of the use of the airport in the coming years. 

The proposals have become more significant in the light of the decision to allow aircraft movements at London City to increase by 50% and because of changes to the flight routings of departing aircraft across north London.  The next stage is for the proposals to be finalised and submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

The text of my representation is set out below:

Dear Sir,

Please take this email as a representation in connection with the London City draft Noise Action Plan.

I have voiced concerns about the noise impact and disruption caused by departing aircraft from London City Airport to my constituents in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering. I have been particularly concerned by proposals to increase the number of permitted flight movements by 50% from the current level. The flights permission which has been approved by the London Borough of Newham would increase movements from 80,000 to 120,000 movements a year. It is also noticeable that the proportion of jet aircraft has increased markedly.

Aircraft will increasingly be passing overhead Hornchurch at between 2,000 and 3,000 feet with a typical noise level of 57 to 72 dB and potentially up to 77 dB for BAE 146 or RJ aircraft. I believe that this would have a serious adverse and detrimental impact on my constituents and I have already noticed an increase in the last year of the number of complaints received about flight noise. If the enhanced permission is utilised, I believe that the noise disruption and environmental impact would have a highly damaging effect on local residents in Havering. Changes to the flight routings of northerly departures from London City Airport would also appear to magnify the likely effect adding to the concern. You will no doubt be aware that the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets have passed resolutions condemning the failure to consult them on the expansion of London City airport, and opposing further expansion at the airport or changes to the flight paths or modes of operation at the airport that which would result in an increase in aircraft noise suffered by local residents.

Accordingly, I do not wish to see any further increase to the number of flight movements permitted under the previous noise action plan unless and until (1) a proper assessment is undertaken of the noise impact of London City Airport on my constituents and (2) confirmation is given that the noise action plan delivers restrictions to ensure that my constituents will not suffer from increased aircraft noise as a consequence of any changes to the operations at the airport. Consultation on the Noise Action Plan should also be extended to take account of the current judicial review application to challenge the decision of the London Borough of Newham. Given the nature of London City Airport, I believe that there need to be robust arrangements applied limiting its operations and mitigating its noise impact.

Yours faithfully,

James Brokenshire

Hornchurch's RAF History

It was a pleasure to attend Sanders Draper School in Hornchurch on Thursday for the presentation of an aircraft propeller to the school. This might sound a little odd, except for the fact that the propeller came from a light plane which flew from RAF Hornchurch and the school itself derives its name from a spitfire pilot who flew from the airfield during the Second World War. 

In March 1943 F/O Sanders Draper guided his stricken aircraft away from the buildings of the old Suttons School to prevent any children from being hurt or killed when his plane crashed. Sanders Draper paid with his life and is buried in the cemetery in the grounds of St Andrew's Church, Hornchurch.

The propeller was donated by the Essex branch of the RAF Aircrew Association and will now sit in the main entrance to the school as a reminder of the sacrifice of F/O Draper and all those who serve in our armed forces. I cannot think of a more fitting place for this piece of aviation history to have been provided with a permanent home.

Drug dependent or not?

When does drug free not mean drug free?  Answer - when it's counted by the Government.

According to information I've obtained through Parliamentary questions, the Government apparently regards drug addicts as being free of dependency even though they may still be taking illicit drugs or be addicted to alcohol. A Parliamentary answer from the Department of Health notes the National Treatment Agency has two categories for counting those deemed to have successfully completed treatment drug free. The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) counts two categories:

• 'Treatment completed free of dependency (no drug use)'; and
• 'Treatment completed free of dependency (occasional use)'

The 'Treatment completed free of dependency (occasional use)' category means that:

"the client is not misusing heroin or crack, but there may be occasional use of other illicit drugs, for example, cannabis which is judged by the clinician neither to be problematic nor to require treatment".

As regards alcohol, the Department of Health notes that:

"...the NTA would expect that clinicians continue to address alcohol dependence as appropriate if, and when, a client is no longer drug dependent nor monitored through NDTMS."

I think it's astonishing that someone can complete drug treatment apparently free of dependency even though they may be an alcoholic or still taking cannabis or cocaine, provided it's not crack cocaine. Sadly, it underlines just how far adrift the Government has become in getting to grips with the problems of addiction.

It's a failure for society, to which drugs do so much damage and a failure to the individuals, who are clearly not getting the help they need to beat their drug problems.  We can't carry on like this and we need a change of approach with much greater emphasis on abstinence based rehab to get more people drug free - and mean it.

Mephedrone and the ACMD

I received an interesting answer to a recent written Parliamentary Question on the ‘legal high' Mephedrone. The drug is causing significant concern after its mis-use has been linked to several deaths. In order to assess the policy background and the need for a potential change in the law, I thought I would ask the Home Office what assessment they had made of the likely effects on health of the use of mephedrone as a recreational drug and what advice they had received from the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs. The reply that I received was as follows:

"Mephedrone (4-Methylmethcathinone) is a stimulant drug which is structurally related to cathinone and methcathinone, both of which are controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is currently considering the harms of Mephedrone and related cathinones compounds as a priority of its current review of so called 'legal highs', commissioned by the then Home Secretary earlier this year. The ACMD will report back early next year and their advice will inform our response to these substances. The Government's FRANK campaign provides information on Mephedrone with clear advice about its known harms provided by the Department of Health and our current 'legal highs' information campaign has included warnings about Mephedrone."

The problem is that following the departure of David Nutt as chair of the ACMD and subsequent resignations it is difficult to see how the ACMD will be in a position to respond on this serious issue early in the New Year. Even if it does, given the number of key vacancies on the committee there will be questions over the robustness of the advice it provides. It looks as if we've been left with a big hole in policy making on an issue which needs urgent attention and with no current indication from Ministers as to how this is likely to get fixed.