CRACK DOWN ON CANNABIS PESTS

24 January 2006

Cannabis dealers who pester members of the public to buy drugs will face a ban from Camden Town, North London, under a new campaign to stamp out anti-social behaviour. And, in a series of crack-down operations, a tough new police approach means ‘cannabis tourists’ who come to Camden Town to buy will face arrest if they are caught with the drug.

Over the coming months, Camden Council and the Police will gather evidence against drugs pests who harass passers-by to gain anti-social behaviour orders to ban them from the area. Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) will be used against people who persistently offer drugs, even where no evidence of possession is found. For those in possession, the police will arrest and take action against both dealer and user in a series of crack-downs. There will also be a new information campaign to warn people that Camden Town will not be a place which tolerates drug selling or buying.

The move comes after new figures show the majority of arrests for drug related offences are for cannabis (around 70 per cent). And more than half of the people arrested for buying drugs in Camden Town do not live in the borough.

Camden Council and Camden Police have already successfully used ASBOs to ban cannabis dealers from the area and undertaken a number of arrests. Around 40 drug related ASBOs have been granted against perpetrators in Camden Town and crime has reduced by 14 per cent in the area since April 2005. The new campaign will involve a step up in operations and specifically also target buyers.

“Camden Town is a great place but what lets it down is a minority of people who hassle every passer-by to buy drugs, regardless of their age. Cannabis may be a class C drug, but in Camden Town the residents and businesses are saying enough is enough and we agree,” says Cllr Jake Sumner, Executive Member for Community Safety at Camden Council.

“We want to send out a clear warning that pestering people to buy drugs when they are shopping, going to work or taking their children to school is simply not acceptable. We’re also aiming to reduce demand for the drugs by taking hard action against ‘cannabis tourists’ in a bid to deter them from coming to Camden Town, ” he added.

“The police will be arresting drug dealers but also we’ll be taking out ASBOs. Residents of Camden Town, and that includes myself, all see the dealers but they know every trick in the book. Sometimes they don’t have drugs on them, which makes arrests much more difficult. An ASBO bans them from Camden Town regardless of whether they have drugs on them and if they come back they’ll be arrested. That’s why ASBOs work hand-in-hand with police arrest operations and can be very effective,” he added.

Partnership Superintendent Martin Richards, Camden Police added:
"We work closely with Camden Council to combat drug use in Camden at whatever level and welcome this initiative to drive out anti-social behaviour in Camden to improve the quality of life for residents and the community."

Figures for Camden Town show:

• The police have made just under 1070 arrests for drug offences in Camden Town between April 2004 and September 2005. Around 70 per cent were for class C Cannabis.
  
• Around 68 per cent of people arrested for drug dealing live outside the borough
  
• More than half of those arrested for buying drugs live outside the borough
  
• The vast majority of those arrested and charged for drug offences are male and aged between 15 and 25 years old
  
• 216 drug users have been referred to support services in the last two years
  
• 40 drug related ASBOs have been obtained in Camden Town.
  
• 9 crack houses have been closed in the NW1 neighbourhood in the last two years

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