Crime Reduction Initiatives founder David Royce is stepping down from the charity, and will be replaced by its current deputy chief executive David Biddle.

Royce has led Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI) for 19 years, during which time the charity has seen vast growth. In 2008 its income was £32m, in 2009 this grew to £42m and a year later to £57.5m.  Last year it just topped £80m. CRI has also been steadily rising up the Charity 100 Index, up 20 places from 79 to 59 this year.

Royce oversaw a number of mergers during his tenure. CRI was formed in 2000 from the merger of four similar organisations, of which Royce was leader. A further organisation merged into CRI in 2007. Most recently, CRI took over crime prevention charity Sova.

Biddle (pictued), who joined the organisation in 1996, has been deputy chief executive for the past seven years. He will take up his chief executive role in October.

Biddle said: “This is one of the biggest periods of change our sector has been through and I’m looking forward to building on David Royce’s work to see how we can use our size and experience to benefit other smaller voluntary services and ultimately, provide the best care possible for end users.”

CRI is currently restructuring its operations into two distinct divisions in order to capitalise on the government’s new offender rehabilitation agenda.

The charity currently works with 42,000 people every day across England and Wales, prescribing opiate substitute medication to 15,000 people and psychosocial treatment for a further 17,000.  Last year, 88 per cent of offenders who completed CRI treatment stopped offending.