You Said, We Did - Drug supply - Community Reassurance Update

You Said, We Did - Drug supply - Community Reassurance Update

I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Drug dealing, which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey.

Today, your Strood North & Frindsbury beat officers executed a warrant at an address in Strood, along with other Medway beat officers, as part of ongoing work to tackle drug-related criminality and protect vulnerable members of our community.
This warrant was able to be obtained due to the on-going reports the public make to police, as well as work put in by the beat officers in order to ascertain further information and intelligence regarding the behaviour linked to a particular property.

During the warrant, officers seized a suspected quantity of Class A drugs and arrested one male, who remains in police custody while enquiries continue.

During the warrant, police were able to identify a vulnerable occupant who appeared to be the victim of cuckooing, a form of exploitation where criminals take over a person's home to facilitate illegal activity. Safeguarding measures were immediately put in place to ensure the individual's welfare, and partner agencies have been engaged where appropriate.

We are pleased to report that local residents were supportive of our attendance and expressed their appreciation for the action taken. Neighbourhood concerns are important to us, and today's activity demonstrates our ongoing commitment to listening to the community, disrupting criminality, and keeping people safe.

Officers will continue to work closely with the occupant of the property, with further appointments already scheduled over the coming weeks to provide continued support, reassurance, and safeguarding.

We would like to thank the public for their continued support and encourage anyone with information about drug dealing, exploitation, or anti-social behaviour in their area to report it to Kent Police. Community intelligence remains vital in helping us identify and protect vulnerable people while bringing offenders to justice.

Your local neighbourhood policing team remains committed to making Strood a safer place to live, work and visit.

The illicit drugs market is big business, worth an estimated £9.4 billion a year and drug deaths have reached an all-time. Taking the health harms, costs of crime and wider impacts on society together, it is estimated the total costs of drugs to society are over £19 billion, which is more than twice the value of the market itself.

If you are adversely affected by antisocial behaviour in your community associated with drug use, The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 outlines the flexible tools and powers that the police, local authorities and other local agencies can use to respond quickly and effectively to antisocial behaviour.

If you ever experience this issue or have information regarding an incident, please report it using our online reporting tools at https://www.kent.police.uk, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

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