Drug service warns of increase in abuse

8:53pm Wednesday 19th March 2008

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Cocaine and heroin use in Kingston has been on the rise over the past two years, despite numerous police operations to cut off supply, according to the chief executive of local drugs help service Kaleidoscope.

Rev Martin Blakebrough said that while cocaine had traditionally come from outside the borough, the market in Kingston had taken off and it was now rare to find a heroin user in the town that did not also use cocaine.

“Cocaine gives people that sense they can get up and do things and then the heroin calms them down, so it’s a nice complement for them.”

Rev Martin Blakebrough

A recent police operation targeting dealers in the area led to eight suppliers being sentenced to a total of 19.5 years for intent to supply crack and heroin in the town, and small scale possession cases are still common in the courts.

Rev Blakebrough said: "From a community safety point of view it's very worrying.

"The size of the drug problem has started to level out, but we are getting more serious cases, although the police have been quite good to my knowledge in shutting down the crack dens.

"The reason heroin users are particularly good for dealing is they are very vulnerable so, in order for them to get drugs, a dealer will get them to deal or use their house for a crack den.

"Cocaine gives people that sense they can get up and do things and then the heroin calms them down, so it's a nice complement for them."

Kaleidoscope currently helps more than 250 people every week in Kingston by providing drug treatment, dispensing methadone and offering counselling services out of its headquarters in Cromwell Road. The service also works closely with Kingston police to provide training and advice.

Rev Blakebrough said: "We are probably one of the only drug areas where the police come to us to get training. I feel the police really try to understand the problem as well as dealing with the criminal consequences."

Rev Blakebrough stressed the need for the implementation of an integrated drugs help service in the town, to give addicts the best chance of rehabilitation.

He said: "It's much more powerful when it's properly integrated.

"The drug user really needs to go into one building with drug treatment officers, probation officers and things like needle exchange and I think it would make a massive difference if we could push forward with that.

"However, we have got two of the longest established drug services in the country in Kaleidoscope and Cranston another drug service based in Kingston.

"There's nowhere else in the country where we have had that for so long and that's one of the reasons why we have controlled the problem as well as we have.

"Ultimately, Kingston's a good place to be if you are a drug user."

Detective Inspector Jez Clarke said: "We cannot make any observations on the statistics for hard drugs.

"However, the increase in offences may be linked to the Kingston Territorial Policing Operation Referee which targeted these dealers. Therefore we made more arrests which consequently went to court."