THE local crime commissioner has urged police to clampdown on drug use in Redditch and right across Worcestershire.
Bill Longmore issued the appeal to police chiefs as he felt there were ‘too many people walking the county’s streets who were dangerous’.
His comments came during a West Mercia Police and Crime Panel meeting where Councillor Sally Chambers (Con, Wyre Forest) said she felt drug use was ‘getting lost in the whole system’.
Mr Longmore added: “This concerns me because there are too many people walking our streets who are dangerous,” he said.
“And the police are facing all sorts of problems because there are so many of these people out there and we have got to address it.
“It is an urgent problem and I hope you get the view that we are trying to do everything possible.
“I am not going to say it is a losing battle, but it is a battle we have got to fight and it is a battle we have to win.”
Mr Longmore said he was also concerned with the amount of cannabis and heroin coming out of Afghanistan, describing it as a ‘dangerous situation’.
Glyn Edwards, the PCC’s commissioning manager, said £265,000 had been invested into drug intervention programmes over the the last 12 months in West Mercia.
But he insisted more work could still be done, adding: “I think we need to establish further relationships with a range of funding partners.
“I think ultimately we are hoping to get into a stage where we can pool budgets because we are trying to get similar outcomes.”
