Call for drug consumption room amid town's 'brazen drug dealing'

A LYMINGTON councillor is calling for a drugs consumption room to be set up where addicts can take illegal substances under medical supervision amid claims of “brazen drug dealing” in the town.

Cllr Jack Davies says the initiative will help tackle drug issues, adding: “We’ve got to think outside the box, we can’t keep going as we are. For years and years all that happens is police bust one drug ring, and another one springs up in its place.

“I’ve seen drug rooms done elsewhere with good results at reducing the harm of drugs and reducing serious crime caused by them. It allows for the health impact of drugs to be tackled while also allowing the police to go after the dealers.”

He raised the possibility of trialling the scheme – which has been operating across Europe for the last three decades – at an online Q&A session on 10th November with officers from Hampshire Constabulary who were asked if they would be “supportive” of such a project.

Cllr Davies said a “big part” of the requests he receives from residents is to do with the fallout from drugs. He said: “I think in recent years drug use has become much more visible in the town.

“I have had reports of brazen drug dealing at some spots, including near the Tesco Express store in Pennington. I was walking past another shop last year and there were people [involved in drugs] shouting ‘We run Pennington!’.”

According to latest government figures, in October in the Lymington and Pennington area, which includes Milford, Sway, Hordle, Boldre and Norleywood, there were four reported drugs crimes.

For the first 10 months of this year, there was a total of 66 drugs crimes reported, relating to possession, supply and production.

Drug consumption rooms are aimed at reducing the risks of disease transmission through unhygienic injecting, preventing drug-related overdose deaths, and signposting drug users to addiction treatment and health and social services.

Addicts are provided with sterile injecting equipment and are supervised by staff trained and equipped to deal with overdoses.

Several councils in the UK have called for such facilities, most recently Glasgow in May. But the government says that under the Misuse of Drugs Act they are illegal, and anyone involved in one would be arrested.

Cllr Davies branded this stance “ignorant and old fashioned”.

He said he would like to see the focus of the police aimed at dealers rather than users, saying: “Drug addiction should be treated as a health issue, and being heavy-handed with addicts is doing more harm than good.”

The town mayor Cllr Anne Corbridge declined to comment when the A&T asked for her response.

Minutes of the Q&A meeting show councillors asked whether there was anything to suggest county lines drug gangs were operating in the town.

Police replied that there was “no evidence” but said a block of flats in Lower Buckland Road has “significant issues and remains a priority”.

They also said Operation Exposed had been introduced which identifies addicts for police to visit, offering them advice and referring them to drug-help services. An arrest of a class A dealer had recently been made, they added.

The police said Efford Way had also been added to the areas where officers would be making patrols in an effort to tackle drug abuse.

Asked about Cllr Davies’ suggestion, a spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said its stance “remains a national one, therefore it would not be appropriate for us to discuss having a drug consumption room unless they were going to be implemented”.

Talking about drugs in the town, they said: “We are aware of reports of drug-related activity and anti-social behaviour at Archgate. Our officers are working closely with New Forest District Council and the relevant housing partners to seek an appropriate solution.”

They said officers have been “supporting vulnerable drug users in the community” with the help of local charities and have carried out a number of “high-visibility” patrols by specialist units in the area, which will continue.