Community Safety Partnership

Drugs & Alcohol Multi Agency Subgroup (DAMAS)

The DAMAS' role is to co-ordinate activities in relation to drugs, alcohol and community safety in South Ayrshire.

The Group is chaired by Lesley Reid, Health Promotion Manager, South Ayrshire Community Health Partnership and has Susan McCardie, South Ayrshire Council Senior Community Safety Officer as Support Officer to the group.

Membership of the group comprises representatives from:

South Ayrshire Council (Licensing and Antisocial Behaviour Team
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Strathclyde Police
Barnardos
ADAT

The Group has adopted a 'problem solving' approach and working in partnership, will gather evidence to identify what the 'hot spot' or 'problem' is!
The Group have in the past had a number of successful projects and intend to continue supporting the 'Off Sales' campaign that introduced a voluntary 'over 21's scheme'.
Already, the problem solving approach has identified the area of 'binge drinking' as raising a cause for concern, in particular, in young people under the age of 16 and people over the age of 60. The group was also keen to work on the following objectives in relation to 'binge drinking for 2005/06 and 2006/07':

Reduce binge drinking over 3 years
Less people being admitted to hospital through intoxication
Reduction in the severity of people being admitted to hospital

3 joint action groups were established for the above objectives:

Alchol and Young People joint action groups
Alcohol and Older People joint action groups
Alcohol and Young Women joint action groups

For 2007/08, the Young People and Alcohol JAG and Older People and Alcohol JAG will continue, with the addition of a new Drugs JAG, developing the following projects:

Young People and Alcohol JAG:

Implementation of SafeDrink Project
Continuation of over 21s off sales campaign
Co-ordinate a Licensing Conference which will provide partners and local licensees information on the implementation of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and its five licensing objectives

Older People and Alcohol JAG

Continuation of information awareness raising campaign regarding alcohol consumption and training ofhospital staff

Drugs JAG

The development of the TAYP Project aimed at addressing the problems of substance misuse within 12-19 year olds in South Ayrshire.

Overall the Group are continuing to carry out information gathering, implementing projects and being adaptable to any new projects or initiatives where appropriate under the Community Safety Partnership 3 Year Plan 2005-2008.