Reducing supply
Street level dealing
The term street level dealing includes open dealing on the street and dealing from business or residential premises.
Street level dealing can lead to rises in acquisitive crime, violence, gun crime, sex markets and begging and associated criminality. It can also be a barrier to regeneration and renewal within communities. Dealing occurs in a number of settings:
- on the street where dealers offer drugs or wait to be approached
- meetings arranged via mobile phones
- off the street, in pubs, cafes and private premises commonly known as crack houses
The police and their partners use a range of tools to tackle street dealing. Enforcement is a key element. Working with key stakeholders linking enforcement with treatment, education and community engagement is likely to have more success and sustainability in the longer term.
Street Level Up
Street Level Up (SLU) is a new approach to tackling the supply of illegal drugs in England and Wales. The project is concentrating on identifying the supply of drugs to key sites including Bristol, Brighton and Liverpool.
It is designed to make a sustained impact on the illicit drugs trade and the criminals involved and to reduce the harm it causes to people and communities.
The Street Level Up approach
The project uses an intelligence-led, cross-level approach, with police forces working with different agencies including the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
The approach uses all available tools to make a positive impact, including:
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utilising financial intelligence and investigation to seize assets from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA)
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using forensic development
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effective management of offenders through appropriate treatment and support to reduce low level demand and destabilise the market
Principles of the project
There are many strands of the project, including:
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improve information sharing with a range of partners and others, identifying appropriate tactics necessary to deal with drugs at all levels and to understand the cross-border links between different people and drugs
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find new ways to share information efficiently and tap into previously un-sourced avenues – which will boost knowledge about drug supply networks and allow them to be destroyed more effectively
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actively improve police force intelligence about the people, places and vehicles involved in the supply of drugs
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improve the role forensic evidence plays in the ongoing efforts to disrupt, dismantle and destroy drugs supply networks. During the project some police forces will feed results into Project Endorse, an existing forensic drug initiative aiming to improve knowledge about distribution at all stages of the illicit drugs supply chain
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use financial intelligence and investigation to seize assets from criminals. Street Level Up is linking into the Serious and Organised Crime Group mapping data which collates known links between criminal groups and aims to build the intelligence picture throughout the illicit network.
Application of the SLU principles is not exclusive to managing the illicit drugs market, as it can be applied to other forms of serious and organised crime.
Who is involved?
Street Level Up is a project run by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) with the backing of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). It is being lead by Deputy Chief Constable Jackie Roberts from Dyfed-Powys Police on behalf of ACPO. The project is being supported by Deputy Director of Enforcement, Andy Sellers on behalf of SOCA.
The full list of organisations involved are:
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Association of Chief Police Officers
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Serious and Organised Crime Agency
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Avon and Somerset Police
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Devon and Cornwall Police
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Dorset Police
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Greater Manchester Police
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Merseyside Police
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South Wales Police
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Sussex Police
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Gloucestershire Constabulary
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Wiltshire Constabulary
Any forces or agencies requiring further information can contact the Street Level Up Administrator on 01275 841 713.
