Aylesbury resident launches campaign to tackle 'brazen drug dealing' on the streets

The man, who does not wish to be named out of concern for his safety, started the campaign last weekend called 'Drug Dealers Don't Care – Do You?'

Dismayed at the drug dealing he believes is occurring outside his house, and frustrated by the lack of action he feels the police are taking, he posted a message about it online and received over 200 responses.

Speaking to The Bucks Herald, he said: “I've seen more and more brazen drug dealing in front of my house and in front of my children. I've religiously reported it to the police every time but the frustration I have is that nobody ever calls you back, nobody ever comes to see you.

“So I posted a message on the app and I've had over 200 acknowledgements and nearly 70 messages from people with exactly the same feelings and thoughts as me.”

This inspired the concerned resident to write a press release detailing some of the issues, which he sent to this newspaper and the MP for Aylesbury Rob Butler.

We contacted Rob Butler, who provided the following statement: “I am absolutely clear that there can be no place in our community for illegal drug dealing and anyone who observes criminal activity taking place should immediately report it to the police.

“It is crucial that people feel safe on the streets of our town, especially at a time when we are encouraging people to come out and shop again.

“As the local MP, I am determined to see Aylesbury as a place that families want to live, work and visit, and that means taking a tough line on antisocial and illegal behaviour.

“I know from my regular conversations that the police take all drug dealing across Aylesbury extremely seriously, and I will be discussing this with local residents.”

Subsequently The Bucks Herald was contacted by other residents who had been informed of the campaign. One said: “I know that one of my neighbours is a dealer. I see people coming to his door on a regular basis - what can we do without risking retribution?”

Another told us that the drug dealing goes all day and night outside his house. He said: “People stand around waiting, then a car or a bike will pulls up, they'll do an exchange and then clear off. Some of them do seem intimidating and sometimes they're hanging around my house for half an hour or 45 minutes waiting for someone to bring something to them and it's not nice.

“It's getting busier and busier and at night you can hear cars sitting there with the engine idling outside the house waiting for someone to turn up.”

Yet another heartbreakingly said: “My elderly neighbour, who lives alone, often tells me she is afraid to leave her house.”

A story we heard time and again from people who contacted us was the frustration felt with the process of logging complaints with the police, and in particular the lack of feedback.

One person living near to the town centre in Aylesbury said: “I have reported many examples to the police, however I never get the feeling it is taken seriously.”

The resident who began the campaign told us: “People feel isolated and they're giving up. That's not a good thing because these drug dealers don't care.

“The police need to open the dialogue between themselves and the community to tell them that they do take this seriously.”

Speaking specifically about the difficulties he has experienced with logging incidents online, one resident said: “The problem is not being able to find a way of reporting it. There's no real way of doing it because there's a lot of categories but there's no category for drug deals and that's the frustration that people have with it.”

Buckinghamshire Council told us that it is a police matter but said they had made the relevant neighbourhood teams aware of the issue.

Superintendent Michael Loebenberg, Commander for Aylesbury Vale policing area, provided this statement: “Thames Valley Police actively encourage people in our communities to make reports directly to us about drug crime and would urge any reports to be made to us online via our website or on our non-emergency number 101. If a crime is in action, please call 999.

“All information received is read and reviewed as part of building a full intelligence picture about a particular area and any issues that may be occurring. Information from the public is extremely important, directly helping this process and our understanding of issues affecting our communities. It is essential that the public report dealing and information about supply to us, or anonymously to Crimestoppers online or by telephone on 0800 555 111.

“To be effective in addressing drug dealing, we make decisions on our operational response which means that not all activity can be visible to the public or fed back to all the individuals who make reports.

“Tackling drug crime is a priority for us in Aylesbury Vale and we have a dedicated Stronghold team who focus on targeting those bringing drugs into our area to cut off supply to those dealing locally. In the past 18 months, the team have arrested over 180 suspects, seizing predominantly class A drugs valued at more than £200,000, as well as over £100,000 in cash. The courts in these cases have already handed down sentences totalling in excess of 55 years’ imprisonment.”

According to Police.UK website there were 38 crimes relating to drugs in Aylesbury town centre in the last year. You can view the data here.

At the weekend seven people were arrested following a drug bust in Aylesbury. You can read our report here.

Drug offences can be reported here.

If you have experienced similar issues please let us know by emailing: sam.dean@jpimedia.co.uk