The way drug misuse is tackled in Bristol is being strengthened by a new training scheme that gives professionals the skills they need to identify individuals at risk.

The free awareness courses are aimed at frontline staff who may encounter drug users in their work, such as police and probation officers, fire fighters, JobCentre Plus staff and GPs.

Those attending will learn how to recognise the tell-tale signs of drug misuse, respond to it safely and legally and identify how and when to refer individuals on to the specialists who can help them.

The courses are the latest action taken by Safer Bristol to tackle drug misuse across the city and the impact it has on communities and individuals.

They have been devised by Safer Bristol's substance misuse workforce development team.

More than 150 people will be trained over a series of five full-day courses for professionals who encounter drug users regularly and four half-day sessions for those who may see them occasionally in their work.

Further training is being targeted at housing support workers. This includes training for Bristol City Council's Sensory Impairment Team who work with deaf, deaf blind, blind and visually impaired adults.

Reducing the harm caused by drugs to individuals, communities and families is a priority for Safer Bristol, the partnership that brings together the key organisations tackling crime and drug misuse in the city.

According to national Home Office figures, around three-quarters of crack and heroin users admit to committing crime to feed their habit.

Safer Bristol is tackling this by focussing on three keys areas - treatment, enforcement and prevention.

This focused work has meant that the number of problematic drug users in the city has fallen from 8,000 to 7,100, with more than half having gone into treatment in the past year.

Bristol also has, for the first time, a comprehensive treatment system that links with community-based agencies, the police and the voluntary sector.

Safer Bristol's service director Alison Comley, said: "We are pleased with what has been achieved, but we realise that this is just a starting point and much more work needs to be done.

"By adopting a multi-agency approach we can address this and help break the cycle that so many drug misusers get caught up in.

"Operating alongside these treatment initiatives we are also tackling the supply of drugs on our streets. With the police, we are tackling the dealers who, in turn, bring more crime to neighbourhoods and lower the quality of life for residents."

Bristol's director of public health, Hugh Annett, said: "I welcome these courses, as improving the awareness of these issues to frontline staff will undoubtedly improve access to treatment for more people, thus reducing the harm caused by their drug misuse."

Councillor Gary Hopkins, Bristol City Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: "Our aim is to get more serious drug users into treatment, reduce substance misuse by young people and stem the supply of drugs into our city.

"By working with a range of agencies and empowering local communities, I am certain we can achieve this."

The one-day courses for professionals are on April 28 in Hartcliffe, May 21 in Easton and June 22 in Bedminster. Half-day courses are on April 21 and June 9 in Easton July 9 in Bedminster.

For more information contact 0117 941 5859 or admin@trainingexchange.org.uk