Cutting crime tackles drug addiction in Wales

A multi-agency initiative to tackle organised crime in North Wales is helping people get off drugs.

North Wales Police reports that targeting drug gangs in a deprived area of Rhyl has hit supply. Addicts are now struggling to get hold of drugs and asking for help to kick the habit.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) recently called on the Westminster Government to halt the slide towards decriminalisation and strengthen law enforcement’s role to address illegal drug addiction.

Falling crime

Chief Inspector Dave Cust said: “Addicts have been coming up to us on the streets and telling us they’re struggling to get drugs because we’ve been able to start turning off some of the supply taps.

“Many drug users want to finish with drugs and it’s an important part of this project that we’re also supporting them and putting them in touch with the right people to get them off the drugs.”

Since April, police have conducted 35 raids, made 180 arrests and seen crime fall by 14 per cent in Rhyl West.

Commenting on the initiative’s success, Chief Superintendent Owain Llewellyn observed: “I’m under no illusions – we need to continue that pressure, and we need to continue to target those who cause real harm to the community.”

Crisis

According to the CSJ, a record 5,448 people died from drug poisoning in England in 2023, an 84 per cent increase since 2013.

Almost ten per cent of adults aged 16-59 in England and Wales reported taking illegal drugs in the past year, although the think-tank noted that this is likely to underestimate the scale of the problem.

It also revealed that since 2012/13, an estimated 13,809 babies have been born in England “with neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs”.

Sophia Worringer, the CSJ’s Deputy Policy Director, said: “Pretending liberalisation is the answer is plainly wrong. Everywhere you look, it has not stamped out the illegal drug market or acted as a silver bullet to reduce drug deaths or drug use.”