Meeting of the Parliament 08 November 2023
I am pleased to speak in this debate on the cashback for communities programme.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats believe that reducing crime involves a co-ordinated approach across sectors, from tackling homelessness and offering more education and training opportunities to more outreach youth services and stronger action to help recovery from, and prevention of, drug and alcohol abuse. The cashback for communities programme supports organisations that work to help to achieve crime reduction. Money that is recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is reinvested into organisations that work to support young people who are at risk of being involved in antisocial behaviour, offending or reoffending.
As others have highlighted, the 29 partner organisations in this phase of the programme cover a range of projects across Scotland. Examples include Edinburgh Young Carers, which provides mental health support, core skills development and respite activities for children and young people who care for parents who are affected by alcohol or substance abuse in the most deprived areas of the capital. Starcatchers works with young parents in Fife who live in areas of socioeconomic deprivation in order to improve their mental health, as well as their social and emotional wellbeing.
Working with young people from across Scotland who have been impacted by adverse childhood experiences, Ocean Youth Trust Scotland develops young people’s confidence, resilience and teamwork skills through outdoor education. Sail Training gives young people the opportunity for personal development through the experience of a lifetime. In my Shetland Islands constituency, cashback for communities funding has supported extracurricular programmes focused on road safety.
Those are just some examples of the positive impact that funding from cashback for communities can have by supporting projects that build the capacity, resilience and confidence of young people and reducing crime through working with communities. However, one scheme cannot be looked at in isolation. The reduction in funding of youth services threatens any good work that is undertaken through the programme. Holistic efforts to tackle crime require visible and viable youth support services with reliable funding.
If I may, I will highlight the work of a Shetland charity that I believe fits with the ethos of cashback for communities. Dogs Against Drugs works in two ways. Trained dog handlers work with drug detection dogs to seize illegal drugs and associated cash and prevent them from entering Shetland. At the same time, the charity works with local schools to deliver education that is aimed at preventing drug use. This year so far, it has reached 1,800 pupils. It also works with the moving on project, which supports vulnerable young people. In 2022, the charity seized almost £30,000 in drugs cash as proceeds of crime. To date this year, it has seized £14,000.
Despite the charity’s work with young people, it was unable to apply for funding from cashback for communities in this phase due to the programme’s criteria. Earlier this year, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs met me to discuss the charity—I again thank her for her time.
I stress the importance of the work that Dogs Against Drugs undertakes in Shetland in disrupting the illegal drug supply chain and delivering crucial awareness-raising courses in schools. It seems reasonable that, as the charity seizes cash from the illegal drugs trade, it should receive some funding back for its work.
I understand that the current phase of cashback for communities runs until March 2026. I ask that, when the Scottish Government is determining possible future criteria for the programme, consideration is given to how organisations such as Dogs Against Drugs might meet any new conditions.