Agenda item

Maria Evans and Brendan Chambers delivered a presentation and answered the members’ questions. 

Questions from Members: 

• Councillor Bond asked what socio-economic and health factors contribute to drug-related deaths in the county, and is there commonality? How far back do root causes get investigated, especially regarding childhood trauma and abuse? 

Maria explained that factors include unemployment, unstable housing, parental substance misuse, and deprivation. Substance use occurs across all social classes, with different drugs prevalent in different areas. Prevention campaigns and education are conducted in schools and universities. Mental health issues and childhood trauma (ACEs) are common among substance users, and interventions are trauma-informed. There are challenges in engaging mental health services, and efforts are made to address trauma through specific pathways. 

• Councillor Bond further asked which came first—the chronic conditions or the drug use? Do you work with schools to prevent future cases? 

Maria stated that some use substances to mask mental health issues, which can lead to further problems like drug psychosis. There is a revolving door syndrome between substance use and mental health. Schools are targeted for awareness and education, but the school programs focus on drug effects and legal consequences, not on identifying trauma risk. Drop-in clinics are available for students to discuss drug concerns. 

• Councillor Bond queried how effective has this approach been, and what were the previous numbers compared to this year? 

Maria and Brendan responded that there were 30 drug-related deaths in 2024 and 28 so far in 2025. The highest recorded was 34. In Monmouthshire, there was 1 death in 2024 and 3 in 2025. 

• Councillor Howells asked how much of a problem is nitazine in drug-related deaths? Is it easily identified in autopsies, and how effective is naloxone in combating it? 

Brendan explained nitazine is an emerging trend, more prevalent nationally and especially in Scotland, with a few cases in Gwent. It is usually mixed with heroin or cocaine, making potency unpredictable and overdoses more likely. Identification is improving through forensic providers and universities. Maria added that naloxone works but often requires many more doses for nitazine overdoses compared to heroin, sometimes up to 10 or 11 injections. 

• Councillor Kear asked what is the police team's liaison and approach to prevention regarding drug misuse and related deaths, given trends in drug possession and supply statistics? 

Brendan responded that his involvement is primarily investigative after the fact, not in prevention. Prevention is addressed through partnership meetings and other police units, but he is not directly involved in frontline prevention activities. Tony acknowledged this and suggested he may take the question back to the chief and the Police and Crime Commissioner. 

• Councillor Jones asked why isn't there more public advertising or government initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs like ketamine and synthetic opioids, given how serious and unknown these risks are? Would a stark campaign (e.g., on social media or TV) be effective? 

Maria responded that many harm reduction campaigns are already in place, including multi-agency ketamine action plans, urology pathways, and drug testing kits for users. Despite these efforts, young people often do not seek help until in crisis. Previous national campaigns (like "Say No to Drugs") were found ineffective. The area is also distributing nitazene testing strips. However, Maria noted these efforts only reach the "tip of the iceberg." Penny followed up, suggesting the Welsh Government should be asked to do more, such as a broader publicity campaign, especially for prescribed drugs like pregabalin, which is implicated in many deaths. 

• Councillor Rooke asked how prescription drugs are monitored to ensure they are not falling into the wrong hands? 

Maria explained that concerns about irresponsible prescribing (e.g., pregabalin, gabapentin) are raised through the Controlled Drugs Local Intelligence Network and reported to the Health Board's Accountable Officer. However, they are still awaiting a response from the Health Board despite these reports. 

• Councillor Riley asked whether people become homeless because of drug use, or do they start using drugs because they are homeless? 

Maria said it is a “chicken and egg” situation: some become homeless due to substance use (e.g., veterans masking PTSD), while others start using drugs after becoming homeless to survive on the streets. 

• Councillor Riley also asked if most drug-related deaths in Newport are due to people migrating there for services, or are they local residents? 

Maria explained that while some migrate to Newport for treatment and drug accessibility, issues exist across Gwent, with people moving for temporary accommodation. Newport is a hotspot for drug dealing, but deaths occur in other areas as well. 

• Councillor Riley asked whether providing more local services in Monmouthshire would reduce migration to Newport and affect statistics? 

Maria clarified that G DAS services cover all of Gwent, not just Newport. Monmouthshire has community pharmacies offering needle exchange and supervised consumption, plus two bases (Chepstow and Abergavenny) for local support. 

• Councillor Brown asked whether funding could be changed so that Health Board staff are based in homeless hostels or B&Bs to support people with drug and alcohol issues, rather than relying on peripatetic services? 

Maria responded that this would be outside her remit. The current grant from Welsh Government is already allocated for treatment provision, so there are no available funds within their grant for this purpose. She could not speak for the Health Board’s ability to provide such funding. 

• Councillor Butler expressed concern as a parent about the widespread availability of illegal drugs online, including products like gummies and muesli bars laced with synthetic opioids, and noted the prevalence of substance misuse among young people. She stated that she was concerned that the "Wings to Fly" drug education program is no longer running and emphasized the need for drug education before students enter sixth form and again when they start college. Councillor Butler suggested that the scale of the issue was overwhelming and asked Councillor Kear to raise these concerns with the police board. 

• Councillor Watts asked how the Area Planning Board (APB) interacts with Community Safety teams to ensure data and intelligence sharing? 

Maria stated that Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and the five local authorities sit on the APB, and information is fed back to CSPs via their representatives on the board. 

• Councillor Watts asked if there is a hotspot for drug-related data in Monmouthshire and who represents Monmouthshire County Council at multi-agency meetings on community safety, and who focuses on treatment response? He also asked whether data is fed back into the Council? 

Maria’s explained that the Monmouthshire data is shared with the Council via Community Safety Partnership representatives on the Area Planning Board.  

• Councillor Watts asked if the loss of school liaison officers impacted the police’s ability to work in schools? 

Brendan said the loss likely has an impact on prevention, though he does not have data to quantify it. 

• Councillor Watts asked if police resources impact their ability to police drug supply and use? 

Brendan explained that policing is proactive and targets local, regional, and national supply chains, but the scale and sophistication of the drug market make it difficult to address fully with current resources. 

• Councillor Watts asked how drug supply is being targeted, especially in schools? 

Brendan described a tiered approach: local neighbourhood teams target local dealers, organized crime teams target regional suppliers, and the National Crime Agency targets national/international supply. He reiterated the challenge due to the size and complexity of the market. 

• Councillor Watts asked what improvements can be made—are more resources needed, or can public bodies work more cleverly together? 

Brendan emphasized the importance of prevention and noted the landscape is constantly changing, requiring ongoing adaptation and collaboration. 

Chairs Summary: 

The Chair thanked both Maria and Brendan for attending the meeting and providing helpful responses to Members’ questions on such an important topic. The Chair commented that some of the issues raised could be discussed with the Chief Constable when he is invited to attend a future meeting. The Chair thanked them for their time and for preparing such a cohesive presentation.