Deeside AM welcomes positive steps taken by police to tackle local drugs issue

Police are carrying out “significant operations” in Deeside to combat drugs and the organised crime groups who are targeting the area.

Positive steps to come together to tackle drugs issues in our communities have been welcomed by a local Assembly Member.

Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant has lived in the area all his life and is troubled by how commonplace it is to see drug dealing and drug taking on our streets in broad daylight.

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Mr Sargeant has also been contacted by constituents worried about the same problems, saying they often witness drugs being openly dealt and even injected in daylight.

In September he met with North Wales Police Chief Inspector Sharon McCairn who told him about the dedicated police work going on behind the scenes – under-cover operations and surveillance work.

He also gained an insight into what police are up against, with big dealers from English cities moving in on homes of vulnerable people (known as cuckooing) in the area to deal drugs.

[miptheme_quote author=”Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant” style=”text-center”]This is a massive problem, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to fight it.[/miptheme_quote]

As soon as one big dealer is eliminated there will be someone waiting to take their place.

Now Mr Sargeant has welcomed a positive response to his letter to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones asking for more operational support to be allocated to Flintshire to tackle the problem.

Mr Jones wrote:

“I can reassure you that there are significant operations currently active in Flintshire and the local Superintendent has dedicated all of his Safer Neighbourhood Team’s resources to identifying and working on drugs related issues within Flintshire.

Matters surrounding drugs are a priority for the team and increased activity is taking place on the ground at PCSO level. Intelligence from the public is also regularly received and reviewed.

“North Wales Police have recently secured four closure orders on properties in Flintshire South which have been linked to drug supply. These closures have received extremely positive public feedback. The Force is continually seeking more closure orders each week.”

Mr Jones mentions that the force is working extremely hard to combat the issues raised by Mr Sargeant within the limited resources they work with due to budget cuts experienced by all public bodies in the last few years.

Carl Sargeant said:

“I welcome this positive letter from the Commissioner which shows we are all on the same page with regards to doing our very best to tackle this issue.

“Since my letters of September, I have noticed increased police presence around Connah’s Quay and Shotton and there have also been many successful operations through September and October resulting in several arrests and large quantities of drugs being seized.

“I’ll be going on the beat locally with a PCSO soon and have launched a survey to collect my constituents’ comments and experiences on the issue of drug use and dealing.

I’ll be using the information gathered to keep constituents update on progress, and collating the information into a report to hopefully discuss with police and other agencies.

“This is a massive problem, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to fight it. With the continued support of the public, I’ll keep taking steps to try and make sure that everyone feels comfortable and safe in every part of Alyn and Deeside.”

If you live in Alyn and Deeside and have two minutes to take part in the survey click here or contact Laura Edwards at laura.edwards@assembly.wales or 01244 823547.