Three-year contract will deliver drug diversion and behaviour change interventions across three police force areas, supporting people away from the criminal justice system and into the right support.
Poole, UK — Red Snapper Managed Services (RSMS) is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the regional Pre-Arrest Diversionary Service (PADS) contract by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, on behalf of West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire. The new service will go live on 1st July 2026 and will run for an initial three years.
PADS provides an alternative to formal criminal justice action for adults referred by police following low-level drug offences. Rather than proceeding through the courts, individuals are offered structured, evidence-based interventions designed to address the underlying causes of offending, reduce reoffending and connect people to wider support including substance misuse treatment, mental health services and housing advice.
RSMS will deliver the service across the three force areas using its tiered model of one-to-one assessment, group-based interventions and digital learning through its Intervention Hub platform. Every referral will be contacted within 24 hours, with practitioners drawn from a national team of specialist staff, all of whom come from a criminal justice background.
A milestone for diversion in the region
“Being awarded the PADS contract is a real moment for us, and a real moment for the people the service will support. Out-of-court resolutions only work when the intervention behind them is credible, evidence-led and properly delivered. That is what we are bringing to West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire. Our team understands the criminal justice system from the inside. We know what it takes to turn a referral into a meaningful outcome; fewer arrests further down the line and better support for vulnerable people. I am incredibly proud of our team and grateful to the three Police and Crime Commissioners for the trust they have placed in RSMS.”
— Jonathan Hussey, Managing Director, Red Snapper Managed Services
About the service
The PADS service will deliver across three tiers, calibrated to the risk and needs of each individual:
• Tier 1 — Low-risk participants complete a self-directed digital module via the RSMS Intervention Hub, supported by a group workshop.
• Tier 2 — Moderate-risk participants attend a three-hour facilitator-led group session using CBT-informed techniques and motivational interviewing.
• Tier 3 — Complex or vulnerable participants, including under-18s and those with significant safeguarding needs, receive tailored one-to-one interventions.
Every participant will be assessed across offending-related thinking, substance use, domestic abuse risk, mental health, housing and employment, with onward referrals into local treatment and support services tracked through the Make Time Count case management platform.
About Red Snapper Managed Services
Red Snapper Managed Services is a UK-based provider of criminal justice, offender rehabilitation and public safety services delivered nationally and internationally. RSMS works with more than 30 UK police forces and has managed over 100,000 referrals across out-of-court resolution, diversion and offender behaviour programmes. Its Intervention Hub, the world’s first digital offending behaviour platform, is used across 90% of UK police forces and by partners overseas.
RSMS holds Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 certification, and works in partnership with police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners, probation, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and a range of international criminal justice agencies.