Nottinghamshire Police is set to receive around £350,000 (500,000 euros) from the European Union to fund a project to tackle drug-related crime.

Nottinghamshire Police Authority working in partnership with other organisations secured the money after they put forward a successful bid.

The Authority worked with its partners: the County Drug and Alcohol Team; the City Crime and Drug Partnership; Government Office of East Midlands; Nottinghamshire County Council and European partners: from Poznan in Poland, Assen in Holland and the Maria Addiction Centre, Stockholm, Sweden to prepare the bid.

The project to tackle drug crime will focus on disrupting drug markets and managing drug using offenders.

It will include research, exchange of personnel between the cities, networking, seminars, examining best practice and a final EU-wide conference to be held in Nottinghamshire.

Chief Constable Steve Green, said: "We are extremely pleased that our bid for funding has been successful. Any money that can be used to educate people and combat drugs that can plague our communities is welcomed.

"This force has put a lot of hard work into tackling drug trafficking and drug abuse, and the crime associated with it. In 2000/1 we arrested 160 drug dealers. By last year we had increased this to 900, one of the highest levels of enforcement in the country.

"This money will help continue to make a considerable difference in our fight against drug related crime."

A delighted John Clarke, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Police Authority said: “This is the first time to my knowledge that EU funding has been awarded to help policing in this way. It’s a really positive reward for a lot of hard work by the team. All of the partners are determined that the project will deliver real benefits in how we tackle the scourge of drug related crime in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere”.

The Police Authority is now considering a further bid for funding for a project to address business crime.