A NEW website to help drug-misusing offenders beat their addictions also has a key role to play in preventing people getting involved in drugs in the first place, organisers say, says the regional manager of the programme it will support.

The profile of the Gwent Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is set to be raised by the website – www.gwentdip.org.uk – and Twitter account @gwentdip And Lyn Webber, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) regional commissioning manager for Gwent DIP, said it aims to widen awareness of the programme, and its work in helping people into treatment.

“I’m very excited by this, I think there is a big need for it,” he said. “It is there to treat and to divert people from crime, but will also have a preventive role. It is about getting the message about the damage drugs can do, to all age groups.”

The website also contains a link to DAN 24/7, a free telephone helpline for providing a single point of contact to anyone in Wales wanting further information or help in relation to drugs or alcohol.

Mr Webber sees legal highs as the next major drugs misuse problem, and one already having an effect, with people coming into the DIP due to issues with them.

The website was launched at Blackwood’s Chambers House DIP treatment centre, one of five in Gwent.

Centre regular David Griffiths, of Blackwood, and Dennis Alford, of Caerphilly, helped launch the website. Mr Griffiths, who has battled heroin addiction, said the DIP has made “a hell of a difference” to him since he started with it two years ago. Dennis Mr Alford, of Caerphilly, called the DIP a “safety net” and said the website will help spread its message to more people.