Crackdown on cannabis use in Shoebury (From Southend Standard)
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Crackdown on cannabis use in Shoebury
7:20am Sunday 27th May 2012 in News
A POLICE campaign will aim to stop youths smoking cannabis on the streets of Shoebury.
Residents claim they regularly see the drug being used and dealing going on outside their homes.
Police have now pledged to take action and clamp down on drugs use in Shoebury.
Officers also urged residents to let them know their concerns.
It is believed to be a particular problem in Ness Road, as teenagers gather outside the closed shops once night falls.
One Ness Road resident, who did not want to be named, claimed teenagers did not try and hide what they were up to from the public.
He said: “They are dealing and they are smoking. We watch them out of our window every night. It’s obvious what they’re up to. If they saw a police officer down the road they would soon scarper.”
David Schindler, 36, of George Street, Shoebury, added: “The police do a good job and we respect that. But I have complained about cannabis use, on East Beach at night time, before and nothing has been done about it.
“Because the police response seemed so bad, people stopped bothering.”
Residents have apparently been reluctant to contact police about the problem, because they assumed recent cuts in officer numbers would stop them taking action.
But speaking to Shoebury Residents’ Association, Sgt Nick Allen and PC Paul Hansen urged people to get in touch when they see drug use, as they would like to help put a stop to it. Pc Hansen said: “It is a fact of life we haven't got enough police officers to go round.
“But if residents work with us, we can get results.”
Sgt Allen said: “Shoebury is probably one of the safest places in the country. “We can’t support the area without the support of the community.
“It makes it far easier to tackle these problems, if we are alerted to incidents.
“If there is a crime going on, then we want to know about it.
“We are certainly going to make cracking down on drug use in Ness Road a priority from now on.”
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