A worried resident, who would not be named, said he had repeatedly seen deals and had rung police.
The latest happened on Thursday, when he claims to have seen two deals happen in Southend town centre in the space of ten minutes.
The first took place in Wimborne Road when the resident saw two men pull up in a red hatchback before apparently being approached by a punter who then thanked them and walked off.
The resident said: “This was at about 5pm and then ten minutes later in Lucy Road another car pulls up, a guy and his girlfriend. Another guy walks up and gets in the back and they do the deal, he gets out and then they drive off.”
He said he had been spotting the cars and ringing police on the 101 number, but was regularly asked how he can know it is definitely a drug deal.
The operator then says there is no one to dispatch. He even resorted to following one of the cars for an hour while calling police, but had no response.And they way these cunning drug dealers are circumventing the police? Why, it’s so simple…
The dealers are said to be renting cars in London to avoid being flagged up on automatic number plate recognition cameras in Southend.
The cameras detect vehicles travelling into the town, and will alert police if they are known to be connected to drugs activity.
But if the dealer regularly changes their car, it becomes easier to avoid detection./facepalm
Naturally, there’s an excuse for this from the police:
Insp Matt Bennett, of Southend police, said even if a patrol car was sent immediately, the deal had been done. He said: “By the time we get there they will be gone.”
He said what was needed was as much information as possible so they can build an intelligence picture.
He added: “We will try to identify them and predict their future behaviour.”How about you give up the ‘Minority Report’ style of policing, stop relying on new whizz-bang gadgetry and get out, on the streets, and do some plain old fashioned police work?
14 comments:
easy off you to critisize but we knead intillgence badly an BTW if we cant ave guns we shud at leest get knifes
Cue Ispector gadget bleating about how there aren't enough policemen....
I'm doing a big sigh whilst writing this Julia.
It's well known in the police that drug dealers use cheap hire cars to get around.They make enough money to hire small cars like Corsas and Astras which they change every month.Not all drug -dealers drive around in pimp-mobile BMW's with blacked out windows and dunka-dunka music thumping from within.
Let's think logically to solve this drug dealing issue on this street.If we put a marked police car there the drug dealers will not stop.There you go problem solved.(Assuming there's one spare of course).No-one will take drugs ever again and the druggies will go and get clean as their supply has been cut.Or back in the real world they will go somewhere else and another angry resident with folded arms will be ringing the Southend Echo.
OR the police could wait there in plain-clothes and catch them in the act.Very labour intensive but a possibility if the public pressure is high and the drug deals are taking place at regular times.It would mean moving officers from other tasks,leaving them open to more criticism from the arm-folders or professional bloggers who are police experts.
To finish I notice you have linked a completely unrelated story regarding a drone aircraft in another part of the country.Please explain the relevance to drugs in Southend,or just a blanket criticism?
To be fair to the police they aren't the only useless people involved.
If they actually put the effort in and charged someone what are the chances of the CPS the case going to court?
If it goes to court what is the chance that anyone will go to prison for at least as many hours as the police have to put into the case?
Of course crime can be slashed tomorrow. Legalize drugs, if people want to poison themselves then let them.
XX He said he had been spotting the cars and ringing police on the 101 number, but was regularly asked how he can know it is definitely a drug deal. XX
So what does any one expect?
You in Britain, along with your commy shit labour/SWP/etc allies, fought tooth and bloody nail to make the evidence procedures, and "police responsibility" crap so tight, that now you stand a better chance of getting a spider to fart through it's ears, than of getting a case through the courts.
Your fault, YOU all asked for it. Basically, STUFF you.
The "Legal" version of Leg Iron sitting back and watching the chaos as people slowly realise they should keep a closer reign on what they wish for. Because ONE days it will jump up and bite YOU in the arse.
Agree with Disenfranchised of Buckingham that drugs should be legalized. Banning simply doesn't work, exposes users to adulterated drugs (the adulteration causing most of the damage) and vastly increases crime as users have to steal to fund their expensive habit.
There's a debate around whether or not some or all drugs should be available at affordable prices from reputable sources or whether some/all should only be available freely from medical facilities.
Either would have the benefit of making it pointless for criminals to try to get new users hooked, or be in the business at all, and the latter would tend to lower drug use overall as there would be no commercial advertising and the whole business would be de-glamorized. However there is no good reason beyond moral disapproval (which often irrationally doesn't extend to alcohol) for keeping the law as it is.
Nur ruhig Blut, 'mine Furor'. Vergessen Sie die subarachnoidhemorrhagen nicht.
Go screw yourself, wanker.
OK...without going into histrionics.
Someone rings up and says a drug deal is going down. Is he happy to give his details, make a statement, identify the offenders and go to court to give evidence? If not then thanks for the information, it can be added to the file and then sort out a covert operation to catch them in the act next time.
If prepared to make a statement, it is perfectly valid to ask what he saw. How does he know they are drugs? I am sure the suspects solicitor will be asking him the question in court so it makes sense for the police to ask it first. I've searched lots of people because of 'they are dealing' reports and a lot of the time, nothing is found. If the suspects are caught with drugs on them then great, but if it was a last deal, or a malicious report, cue the 'i'm being harassed by the police, this is the seventh time i have been searched and no drugs found on me. I'm making a complain against you and going to the papers...blah blah".
Officers then end up reluctant to stop and search because they have been complained about.
Drug dealers can carry a small amount, knowing if they get stopped, the penalty for possession is negligible. Keep the main stash buried somewhere, i've known it to be buried in back gardens and the dealer claim he knew nothing about it. Burden of proof etc.
By all means change the 'beyond all reasonable doubt' to a civil burden of proof for drugs offences. I will happily lock up all the druggies i know, not sure what you are gonna do with them, but at least we won't look like we are 'useless'.
Dear Anonymous colleague above,you must understand the rules of this blog.What happens is that an anti-police story is posted,probably linked to a totally irrelevant one as well,so armchair experts can pronounce what is wrong with the police.
Things like evidence,statements,witnesses are not required here.Other types of evidence like hearsay,common knowledge and stereo-typing are more acceptable.These bloggers watch the Bill where a uniform PC just happens to witness a drug deal on a street corner,chases the criminal who doesn't discard his stash.He then admits the crime,implicates someone further up the chain and it's wrapped up by the Nine O'Clock News.
Jaded,
You forgot the bits where plod kicks the shit out the suspect, then fits him up for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
And we're back..........right on time.
"To finish I notice you have linked a completely unrelated story regarding a drone aircraft in another part of the country.Please explain the relevance to drugs in Southend..."
It speaks to the reliance on technology and method rather than getting out on the street and putting in the hard work.
I thought I had made it as obvious as could be.
"To be fair to the police they aren't the only useless people involved."
No, indeed. But this chap isn't phoning the CPS, is he?
"Officers then end up reluctant to stop and search because they have been complained about."
Then perhaps another job would be best for them?
"These bloggers watch the Bill... "
Doubtful. It finished, oooh, about four years ago now?
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