Drug use, drug dealing and the problems that come with them are not new to South Leeds, but it feels like it’s been getting worse over the last few months.
South Leeds Life is aware of several local neighbourhoods that have been significantly impacted so this month, we spoke with residents, and agencies including the Police, about this problem and what can be done about it.
We’ve heard about children not being able to play outside, people selling their home to move away from the situation, a rise in burglaries and car crime and used needles on the streets.
As one resident said in a recent meeting:
“The worst thing is, drug dealing, and everything that goes with it, has become so normal recently in our communities – and that’s not right.”
Not surprisingly, the residents we’ve spoken to do not want to be identified, so we’ve changed their names.
Geday (name changed) lives in Beeston, and says:
“It’s been a really scary worrying time. We’ve not felt safe in our own home, with the gangs often gathered right outside our front door. I’ve often had to use the back door, to avoid them.
“On a couple of occasions, they were chasing each other with knives. Another time, one of them was threatening others with a hedge trimmer. They ride around like crazy on motorbikes. And they often light fires, which really impacted my daughter with asthma.
“It’s been so stressful. I’ve not slept properly for months: You can hear them fighting and swearing and shouting all night. So I’ve not been able to concentrate at work, and have been told I might lose my job.
“There were some recent arrests, and things are a bit quieter. But there’s a lot of fear in our community now. One family we know are selling their house, and moving out; they’re very emotional, they don’t want to move, but they feel they have to be somewhere safe.”
Alice from Beeston Hill spelled out the problem very clearly:
“We have a small friendly street. It was safe before, it was nice. But this summer, everything’s been messed up. They started dealing drugs from a flat here in June. Every day now, there are dozens of people coming and going. Sex workers who are drunk, or drugged-up, or both, barely dressed. The drug users often talk with our kids, but that just feels really unsafe.”
Sandra and Charlie run a community project in Hunslet. They say:
“Drug dealing in this area is huge. First off, there’s a load of young lads in balaclavas, on scooters. They pull up, a crowd congregates, parcels and money are exchanged, and the lads ride off.
“The users congregate on the benches all around us, taking drugs right where we are, in plain sight. There’s no shame, it’s so blatant. They sometimes leave needles lying about. It’s not uncommon for us to have to move what we’re doing, around them. It’s a safeguarding nightmare.”
You can read Alice, Sandra and Charlie’s full comments below.
Inspector Mark Lund, who heads the Leeds South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“We fully appreciate the concerns of residents and are keen to reassure them that we continue to take a robust and proactive approach to tackling drug dealing and associated crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
“Recent work in the area includes ten drugs warrants being executed at addresses, resulting in several arrests and the seizures of drugs, cash and weapons, with investigations ongoing. Targeted activity alongside our community safety partners at Leeds City Council has seen five full closure orders and nine partial closure orders on addresses linked to drug dealing.
“This work is being regularly supported by a series of days of action that bring an increased police presence to hotspot areas to reassure residents and deter offenders.
“Information from the community remains a vital element in our work to tackle drug dealing and we urge people to pass that on to us either directly to local officers at any of our regular contact points or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
“We remain very firmly committed to targeting those whose criminal activities blight he lives of the local
community, and we will keep doing everything we can alongside our partner agencies to bring them to justice and remove them from the area.”
And a spokesperson for Safer Leeds said:
“Working with West Yorkshire Police and all partners, targeted work is being carried out to address issues around drug dealing in this area. Tackling the concerns raised by the local community are our priority, and we are determined to do everything we can to stop any area of Leeds being blighted by crime and associated anti-social behaviour.
“Local communities continue to have a key role in this by contacting the police or Crimestoppers with any information or concerns. And anyone who is struggling with the impact of drug or alcohol use is encouraged to seek help from Forward Leeds – they can visit the Forward Leeds website or call 0113 887 2477.”
The problem of illegal drug use is a lot bigger than South Leeds and is not going to be resolved soon, so what can we do?
Alice, Sandra and Charlie all talk about reporting incidents to the Police. This is really important. They may attend or they may not, depending on the report, but the incident will be logged and collated. The Police have limited resources so they prioritise the biggest problems. If they receive a lot of reports on a regular basis they will respond, perhaps not immediately, but if no one reports anything they certainly won’t respond.
Living with drug problems on your street is hard. By getting together and speaking with your neighbours you can give each other strength. Take it turns to report issues to the police, spread the load.
If you are in Beeston Hill (roughly from Cross Flatts Park down to Hunslet Hall Road) there is a private landlord licensing scheme, so speak to the council and they can raise the problem with the landlord.
Don’t put yourself in danger, but don’t retreat from public spaces either. Drug dealers like their privacy, so don’t make it easy for them.
Alice from Beeston Hill spelled out the problem very clearly:
“We have a small friendly street, with lots of families. We share things, we help one another, we’re like a family. It was safe before, it was nice. Everyone was regularly out in the street, we used to leave bikes and toys out.
“But this summer, everything’s been messed up. They started dealing drugs from a flat here in June. Every day now, there are dozens of people coming and going. Sex workers who are drunk, or drugged-up, or both, barely dressed. The drug users often talk with our kids, but that just feels really unsafe.
“We – the neighbours – have tried to make a team, to watch out. Once, we chased one of them off the street, but he came back, and was banging on my door, wanting to fight my partner. Another time, one drug dealer was trying to stab another – and we stepped in, and protected him: they are all people after all.
“But it feels dangerous, ugly. You don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s a lot of fear.
“It’s had a big impact on the kids. You don’t feel the freedom to let them play out, or cycle around, or play football like they used to. And some of the neighbours don’t now let their kids play out at all.
“We know that reporting to the Police is important – but you put yourselves in danger, if they find out. Some of the neighbours are afraid to speak up.
“And when the Police do come, I’m not sure what they do. They are too soft, too kind. They recently broke into the flat, but didn’t arrest anyone, they didn’t do anything. There were people right there, full of drugs, but they were relaxed, calm, not remotely scared of the Police.
“The Police need more power – or maybe they have the power, but just need to be more straight-forward, and to give out some rough lessons. To change the power dynamics, and take away the power or sense of power that the dealers have.
Can anyone help? We heard that the landlord is now trying to evict the dealers – I think he had trusted an agency with the letting, and didn’t know what was happening. The drug dealers have destroyed the flat, so the landlord is also a victim.
This is not OK. This is not fair. Maybe if we – the community, all of us – come together to create security, on our doorsteps, they will have no choice but to move their drugs operations. This is our community. We must take action.”
Sandra and Charlie run a community project in Hunslet:
“Drug dealing in this area is huge. First off, there’s a load of young lads in balaclavas, on scooters. They pull up, a crowd congregates, parcels and money are exchanged, and the lads ride off.
“There’s also dealing from local houses – we think some of that is a cuckooing situation. At times, they are literally queuing up outside a house, in clear sight. You see the same people going back and forth all day, off to the shops to go begging or perhaps nicking stuff to sell on, then returning to stock up on drugs. Our building’s also been broken into, and stuff stolen; the same with some of the local garages.
“The users congregate on the benches all around us, taking drugs right where we are, in plain sight. There are so many places they could go, out of the way, and that would be better – but they don’t.
“And you see them staggering around, perhaps collapsing or passed-out. They sometimes leave needles lying about. It’s not uncommon for us to have to move what we’re doing, around them. It’s a safeguarding nightmare.
“We challenge them when we can. Mainly, they’re just embarrassed – we’ve not yet met with animosity. But it just doesn’t seem to compute for them that we’re just metres away. There’s no shame, it’s so blatant.
“So, you’re just on high alert, super-vigilant all the time, checking bags, or bikes, or other things aren’t being stolen. Everyone here is impacted. It’s frightening that local kids can’t do simple innocent things like hiding and climbing in the trees: they’ll inevitably stumble across drug users and needles.
“And the young people who attend our project are sometimes approached, and invited to join a gang, or whatever: terrible. All of us – especially older local residents – feel frightened and intimidated. It’s sickening.
“However, reporting to the Police does seem to work. They do come down, and it’s amazing, it really drives the drug dealing away (at least for a time), and local people are lifted.
“Is it ever going to change? I wonder if dedicated shooting galleries are the solution – but will that ever happen? In the meantime, we have to just go at it relentlessly with reporting.”
Trap houses
Trap houses are properties that have been taken over for drug use. Trap houses shelter drug users and provide a place for drug dealers to supply them. Police and local authorities have powers to close premises which have been associated with disorder or serious nuisance. Once an order is made, the premises are boarded up, and no one may enter the premises, initially for a period of three months, but this can be extended to six months.
Cuckooing
Cuckooing is when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over by a criminal in order to use it to deal, store or take drugs, facilitate sex work, as a place for them to live, or to financially abuse the tenant. The practice is associated with county lines drug trafficking. It is also known to occur as part of ‘mate crime’, the act of befriending a person with the intent of exploiting them.
Report it
Report suspected trap houses, cuckooing, or incidents of drug dealing to the police. Call 101 or report online at: www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat. In an emergency call 999.
You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you find used needles, report them to Forward Leeds for safe disposal. Call (0113) 887 2477 or email info@forwardleeds.co.uk
Photo: Shutterstock
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A better solution to what is seen as “the drugs problem” would be to legalise and tax drugs. Treat drug use as a medical and social issue not a criminal one so the police and prisons are not overburdened. Use the money saved and tax revenue to help addicts and at the same time make sure the drugs are safe to use and not adulterated. We do this with alcohol, tobacco and foodstuffs so why not heroin, cocaine and ecstasy etc.?