The Prolific and other Priority Offenders Strategy
Aligning the PPO and Drug Interventions Programmes
The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) began in 2003 as a three year programme to develop and integrate measures known as 'interventions' aimed at helping adult drug misusing offenders out of crime and into drug treatment.
Drug Action Teams (DATs) are responsible for local delivery, using integrated teams with a case management approach to offer offenders access to treatment and support. This begins at an offender's first point of contact with the criminal justice system and continues through the process and beyond into resettlement.
Further infomation on the Drug Intervention Programme - including guidance, case studies and publications - can be found on the Home Office Drugs website.
Aligning the PPO the Drug Interventions Programmes
The Home Office document 'Rebalancing the Criminal Justice System in favour of the law-abiding majority', published in July 2006, included a commitment to re-launch the PPO Programme and to align it more closely with DIP.
Rebalancing the Criminal Justice System in favour of the law-abiding majority
English Language Version 
(Portable Document Format 312KB)
Welsh Language Version (Portable Document Format 432KB)
Alignment Guidance
The primary aim of the alignment with DIP is to ensure that the highest crime causing drug users are identified and targeted. Alignment will ensure the best possible interaction between PPO and DIP schemes, so that the best possible grip is exerted on this key group of drug-misusing offenders. Guidance for aligning PPO schemes and DIP schemes has been produced by the Home Office and is available to download here:
PPO and DIP alignment guidance (Portable Document Format 229KB)
'Working Together' leaflet produced
A leaflet entitled working together which covers the specific issues arising from the alignment of PPO and DIP has been produced by the Central Office of Information on behalf of the Home Office. The leaflet addresses:
- The aims of alignment
- The profile of PPO and CJIT clients
- Effective joint working including the six key features of alignment
The leaflet can be downloaded here (Portable Document Format 482KB)
Drug Interventions Programme/PPO case studies
Please click headings below to view case studies.
Dordrecht - Hartlepool (Example 1) (Portable Document Format 53KB)
Dordrecht - Hartlepool (Example 2) (PDF 55KB)
Avon and Somerset Prolific Offenders Unit (Example 1) (PDF 62KB)
Avon and Somerset Prolific Offenders Unit (Example 2) (PDF 83KB)
Information sharing case study (PDF 76KB)
Peterborough case studies (PDF 1.4MB)
Salford PPO scheme (PDF 110KB)
Last update: Wednesday, November 14, 2007