We'll tell you how we're winning the war on drugs

The Worcestershire Substance Misuse Action Team (SMAT) is one of 40 drug action teams nationwide chosen by the Government to tell people how they are working to reduce harm wreaked by drugs and alcohol.

According to the Home Office, more class A drugs have been seized, more drugs users are in treatment and drug-related crime is down as a result of the work done by drug action teams - but not enough people know about it.

Kate Rowberry, a development adviser for Worcestershire SMAT, which is based at County Hall, Worcester, said: "There is this fear of drug misuse, regardless of whether people have seen it happen. A lot of media coverage does not reflect the work that is being done and we read stories about failure not success. We want to breach the gap between perception and reality."

By the end of 2005, the Worcester Drug Interventions Programme was ensuring people going through the criminal justice system had access to drug treatment at any time.

A service to get under-19s off drugs had also been set up and was still hitting its targets.

Miss Rowberry said: "The fact that 85 per cent of people are staying in drug treatment programmes for at least 12 weeks shows the work pays off.

"Getting users into treatment is easy compared to getting them through it and out the other side."

Two competitions supporting similar success stories are taking place this year.

An awards scheme to recognise unsung heroes has a top prize of £10,000 that will go to the service the individual works for.

There will also be a contest to uncover a Worcestershire person with a way with words and an eye for local issues who can write about a local drug projects.

If judges pick their article, which could be published in the Worcester News, they get an exclusive interview with the Minister for Drugs, Paul Goggins.

The contest will mean local drugs projects are seen through the eyes of local people, something SMAT is keen to develop.