wfn.org | Thank you for caring - Hellawell

["EAUK Press Office" <press@eauk.org>]

For Immediate Release: 6th November 1998

Keith Hellawell, the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and former Chief
Constable of West Yorkshire Police, thanked church based drugs
workers for their work when he addressed the Evangelical Alliance
Coalition on Drugs (ECOD)in Birmingham this week (Wednesday).

He told over 80 delegates attending the annual ECOD conference:
"I know you are here not primarily because you are Christians,
but because you care.  Thank you for caring."

In a frank speech delivered without notes Mr Hellawell said drug
abuse could only be tackled if all sections of society joined in.
"It is only through co-operation and partnership between all
groups in our society including the church action groups like
ECOD, that we will achieve a healthy and confident society."

Since starting in the post he said his determination has been to
get out into the field and speak to people. "I want to pick the
best from what I see and what I learn," he said. 

He went on to acknowledge what he felt had been a stigma attached
to those doing good in their communities.  He said: "There has
been a negative stigma attached to the do- gooder. It must be
seen as positive to help others, that is the strength of every
democratic society, that is the strength of our religion. I want
to encourage and inspire that." 

Commenting on the positive results of a drug awareness survey
done by ECOD member, HOPE UK, which questioned 3,000 11-14 year
olds and found that the majority didn't want cannabis legalised
and didn't see themselves using drugs in the future, he said; " I
don't think the results are surprising at all. I think the survey
reflects the views of children. They don't want to legalise
cannabis, the nation as a whole does not want to see cannabis
legalised." 

Mr Hellawell said he wanted to see more resources put into drug
prevention work. "Treatment works," he said. "The treatment
agencies have sometimes seen themselves as underground
operations. Of the 1.4 billion spent each year on tackling drugs,
62 percent goes on law enforcement, that percentage needs to be 
shifted over to drug prevention." 

At the heart of a report he will be presenting to Tony Blair's
Government next year he said was common sense and a call for
shared responsibility.

"We must realise that we will never eradicate drug taking within
our society but we can reduce it, control it and protect people
from it. We need to get away from labelling children. We need to
get away from saying 'It's not my child who is an addict it is
their child.'  They are all our children.  We lose them, we fail
them, the responsibility is ours as a society."  

Phil Wall, Salvation Army territorial youth evangelist, asked
whether the Church had gone soft on drugs.  He said the Church
might have a stronger argument if it practised abstinence.  "Not
because it is a sin to drink," he said, "but because we need to
make a strong statement about drugs.  Extreme measures are
sometimes needed in a war." 

David Partington, Chair of ECOD said: "The very fact that this
conference is taking place shows how seriously the church is
beginning to take the drug problem."

ENDS

For more information contact:

Gavin Drake, gdrake@eauk.org
0171 207 2117 or + 44 171 207 2117
or
Jill Howard, jhoward@eauk.org
0171-207 2116 or + 44 171 207 2116

For information or interview requests for Hope UK contact George
Ruston on 0171-928 0848 (+ 44 171 928 0848).

For information or interview requests on Keith Hellawell contact
Denise Hart at the Cabinet Office on 0171-270 0207 (+ 44 171 270 
0207).

For information or interview requests on Phil Wall contact Sarah
Miller at the Salvation Army on 0171-332 0022 (+ 44 171 332 
0022).

Evangelical Alliance UK,
Whitefield House,
186 Kennington Park Road,
London, SE11  4BT

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