Mayhem raid is start of "major crackdown" on drug dealing in Southend (From Southend Standard)
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Mayhem raid is start of "major crackdown" on drug dealing in Southend
11:09am Saturday 22nd September 2012 in News
A SENIOR cop has warned that a raid at Southend's Mayhem nightclub is the start of a "major crackdown" on drug dealing in the town.
Supt Andy Prophet, area police commander for Southend, said action will be taken against those who adopt a "lax" attitude towards dealing after last night's raid.
About 100 officers stormed into the club as part of an operation that was put together after reports were received about alleged drug dealing taking place there.
Staff and customers were searched and a quantity of drugs in pill form was found inside the nightspot.
Police sniffer dogs also found a number of "positive results" on people as they left, but no drugs were found.
Officers seized several weeks of CCTV footage and will review it in detail as part of their investigations to see if there is evidence of dealing.
Police are now said to be considering whether the club's licence should be reviewed.
Supt Prophet said: "This operation is the start of a major crackdown on drug dealing and associated crime by a small minority of people using clubs and bars for their trade.
"Police will use every method available to us to get information to arrest and prosecute dealers.
"We will work with clubs and bars, but where they are lax or tolerant of dealing, we will ensure compliance with licensing rules.
"I want to ensure that any resident or visitor to Southend can enjoy a drug and crime free night out in our town."
Mr Prophet has apologised for any "dismay" the operation may have caused, but said action is needed to protect innocent people who just want to enjoy a night out.
He added: "I recognise that we caused inconvenience and perhaps dismay to the vast majority of the hundreds of entirely innocent clubbers present last night.
"I would apologise to them, and thank them all for their patience and understanding. I regret that sometimes policing causes problems for innocent people, but I know too from comments made to officers, that people appreciate what has to be done to stop that small criminal minority ruining the great nightlife we have here."
Mayhem also thanked its customers for their co-operation on Twitter this morning, Saturday.
It is offering them free entry until 11pm next Friday, September 28, and a free drink as people were not able to be reimbursed last night.
Comments(38)
SpaffSpiff84
says...
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El
says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
I wonder how many people will be turning up at half ten having already dropped a tab or two elsewhere.
The Soldier in White
says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El wrote:It would be rude not to !
Free entry until 11pm next Friday, September 28, and a free drink.
I wonder how many people will be turning up at half ten having already dropped a tab or two elsewhere.
CALL ME CLINT
says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
"I want to ensure that any resident or visitor to Southend can enjoy a drug and crime free night out in our town."
Doesn't this rather crass statement from the Divisional chief of police underline the contradiction that exists between the law makers and enforcers and what the vast majority of ordinary people want to see on our streets.
Why would anyone suggest that one could not enjoy a drug and crime free night in Southend- are they (drugs and crime) indivisibly linked?
Would not the average resident and visitor be more at ease with a highly visible presence of police on the streets performing their duty in what many would consider an old fashioned way. By this I mean constables walking beats.
High profile raids such as last night's do little if anything to make the town safer. The recreational use of drugs of all sorts is here to stay, make no mistake about it Mr. Prophet. You probably know this already but it is not politically expedient for you to admit it. What the people of Southend need and deserve is a police response to crime and a deterrent presence on the streets- not headline-making operations that actually make the local police look a little foolish.
Mr. Prophet, get real, man. Admit to yourself that the war on drugs cannot be won in the way you have chosen under pressure from the fools that lean upon you. Take a new approach and give the law-abiding people of Southend, and those that visit the town, a decent traditional policing service without all the horns and whistles- if you succeed accolades will follow.
King ,El
says...
12:12pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Basildon.lad.21
says...
1:20pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Truth Will Prevail
says...
1:44pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Tsgarmy
says...
1:47pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Diannah wrote:They didn't find any drug dealers tho?
Fantastic news. Drug dealers have no room in our society. I hope the police carry this through.
SomebodySmart
says...
1:50pm Sat 22 Sep 12
A: Huns faced death if they deserted or disobeyed rather than risking their lives in combat, but cops are free to get a job.
Little John
says...
2:26pm Sat 22 Sep 12
I really must question the point of the police disrupting a good night out for a load of young people to simply go through the motions of looking like they are on top of the situation and doing their job.
As the report said, no drugs were found on anyone that was searched. Not really much surprise there. All that has been achieved here is a load of clubbers that have paid good money to get in to Mayhem last night were tufted out onto the cold street to wait their turn to be searched and then sent home. Wow! That really set out a message.
We can now all sleep easy in our beds knowing the police are on top of the drugs situation in Southend. I wonder how much this pointless raid cost and how much overtime was available.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a great supporter of the police and respect them. That said, this raid was pointless beyond belief.
boom2012
says...
3:05pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Mary anne
says...
3:52pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Truth Will Prevail
says...
5:15pm Sat 22 Sep 12
boom2012 wrote:Police and intelligence are two words that should never go together, my kids tell me that Mayhem is the absolute last club likely to have loads of drugs or dealers. No doubt they will raid a few OAP clubs and the WI next, ho ho ho! Mr Prophet is obviously trying to make an impression on his bosses, except it backfired didn't it.
Lol the police raid mayhem but not sunrooms or royal hotel. Great work donkeys. Think they need a review on their intelligence.
snowbarney
says...
6:02pm Sat 22 Sep 12
In any case most of the dealing is done off the High Street in broad daylight and the 'crack' teams are the ones doing the supplying not any elite police force.
howironic
says...
6:54pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Nebs
says...
7:38pm Sat 22 Sep 12
http://www.intellige
ntfingerprinting.com
/news/IFP_press_rele
ase_Mar_2012.pdf
muffindamule
says...
8:16pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Nebs wrote:Clever stuff, Nebs, but it doesn't identify the dealers.
The writing is on the wall for drug users.
http://www.intellige
ntfingerprinting.com
/news/IFP_press_rele
ase_Mar_2012.pdf
heartbeat
says...
10:43pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Alec Cikes
says...
11:03pm Sat 22 Sep 12
As perhaps PC Hughes & Bones in Manchester. Hoax cases.
Perhaps they shouldn't be trying to trip the odd local with a few personal grams of weed (who really cares), but more so concentrating on the big dealers withing SOS who deal in outside trading on the streets & alleys!
beyond the valley of the asbos
says...
11:08pm Sat 22 Sep 12
E-Types...
says...
11:11pm Sat 22 Sep 12
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
The Soldier in White says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
All the same weird individual!
E-Types...
says...
11:14pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Truth Will Prevail wrote:LOL... im sure they will remember you said that!
boom2012 wrote:Police and intelligence are two words that should never go together, my kids tell me that Mayhem is the absolute last club likely to have loads of drugs or dealers. No doubt they will raid a few OAP clubs and the WI next, ho ho ho! Mr Prophet is obviously trying to make an impression on his bosses, except it backfired didn't it.
Lol the police raid mayhem but not sunrooms or royal hotel. Great work donkeys. Think they need a review on their intelligence.
The Soldier in White
says...
12:16am Sun 23 Sep 12
E-Types... wrote:You wish ! LOL !
SpaffSpiff84 says...
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
The Soldier in White says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
All the same weird individual!
E-Types...
says...
1:35am Sun 23 Sep 12
The Soldier in White wrote:Time will tell!
E-Types... wrote:You wish ! LOL !
SpaffSpiff84 says...
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
The Soldier in White says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
All the same weird individual!
fletch12107
says...
10:47am Sun 23 Sep 12
John the resonator
says...
11:01am Sun 23 Sep 12
Tsgarmy wrote:OR any drugs for that matter. 100 police officers for their sniffer dogs finding a couple of traces, which i take it means on people clothes. Big 'deal' ha ha ha!
Diannah wrote:They didn't find any drug dealers tho?
Fantastic news. Drug dealers have no room in our society. I hope the police carry this through.
doasilikey
says...
3:38pm Sun 23 Sep 12
fletch12107 wrote:I dare say you may have a valid point to make Fletch. Personally I can't understand what you are trying to say as it is my understanding that possession of Class A & B drugs (a prerequisite to consumption, presumably) is already illegal.
Make the taking of class A&B drugs illegal and watch the arrest rate go through the roof. This could be a deterent to those who are unsure whether or not to try them and that in turn may just shrink the market for the dealers.
Druggie Scumbag
says...
6:43pm Sun 23 Sep 12
E-Types... wrote:Hey! E Types! You are one wierd fecker yourself. My brain might be addled but that's nuffin on you. Keep it up man- fight the good fight!
SpaffSpiff84 says...
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
The Soldier in White says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
All the same weird individual!
E-Types...
says...
8:25pm Sun 23 Sep 12
Druggie Scumbag wrote:Err...well yes...i think.
E-Types... wrote:Hey! E Types! You are one wierd fecker yourself. My brain might be addled but that's nuffin on you. Keep it up man- fight the good fight!
SpaffSpiff84 says...
11:42am Sat 22 Sep 12
King ,El says...
11:53am Sat 22 Sep 12
The Soldier in White says...
11:58am Sat 22 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT says...
12:09pm Sat 22 Sep 12
All the same weird individual!
Nebs
says...
8:28am Mon 24 Sep 12
.
Tuesday 25th May 2010 Chief Insp Andy Prophet has said a sustained police crackdown has ousted the thugs who were flogging heroin and crack cocaine in towerblocks across the town.
Thursday 13th January 2011 DRUG dealers and addicts in Westcliff are being targeted by police.
Spread 'em
says...
9:14am Mon 24 Sep 12
This suggests that drugs are forced upon 'innocent' late night revellers when on a night out. I have been going to Mayhem for well over five years and not once have I seen drug dealling going on.
A handfull of pills which has been referred to as 'quanities' which in fact were just a maximum of 20 pills were found as they hearded all of the customers up the stairs in one group.
This was clearly an operation to clean the image of the police after their image has been tarnished after taking 21 minutes to attend an incident outside Churchills whereby a man died. This isnt the thread for this so i'll keep it short and sweet, if they attended sooner the man may not have died.
Southend nightlife 2 - 0 Police
ccd
says...
11:13am Mon 24 Sep 12
fletch12107
says...
1:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
doasilikey wrote:My point was that the crime should be ingestion not just having them on the person.
fletch12107 wrote:I dare say you may have a valid point to make Fletch. Personally I can't understand what you are trying to say as it is my understanding that possession of Class A & B drugs (a prerequisite to consumption, presumably) is already illegal.
Make the taking of class A&B drugs illegal and watch the arrest rate go through the roof. This could be a deterent to those who are unsure whether or not to try them and that in turn may just shrink the market for the dealers.
doasilikey
says...
1:31pm Mon 24 Sep 12
fletch12107 wrote:Thanks for the clarification. Can't say I agree but it is a valid point of view.
doasilikey wrote:My point was that the crime should be ingestion not just having them on the person.
fletch12107 wrote:I dare say you may have a valid point to make Fletch. Personally I can't understand what you are trying to say as it is my understanding that possession of Class A & B drugs (a prerequisite to consumption, presumably) is already illegal.
Make the taking of class A&B drugs illegal and watch the arrest rate go through the roof. This could be a deterent to those who are unsure whether or not to try them and that in turn may just shrink the market for the dealers.
andy:)
says...
7:29pm Tue 25 Sep 12
EErr..why ?. No arrests, the club loses a shedload of money, clubbers have their night ruined and the poor owner has a near heart attack and now the ol bill wanna tutn the knife !
This raid was a huge mistake and I'm sure the police have now lost any goodwill that the owners of Mayhem had towards them and probably alienated even more youngsters.
Why not raid the Tower Blocks or actually arrest dealers on the streets ?
Andy
jolllyboy
says...
4:38pm Wed 26 Sep 12
AnonSouthender
says...
5:59pm Thu 4 Oct 12
doasilikey wrote:The reason is due to human rights. The government cannot control what a human wishes to ingest. If I want to eat a lump of coal it is my right to do so. If I want to drink cyanide (If drinking it is possible) its my right to do so.
fletch12107 wrote:Thanks for the clarification. Can't say I agree but it is a valid point of view.doasilikey wrote:My point was that the crime should be ingestion not just having them on the person.fletch12107 wrote: Make the taking of class A&B drugs illegal and watch the arrest rate go through the roof. This could be a deterent to those who are unsure whether or not to try them and that in turn may just shrink the market for the dealers.I dare say you may have a valid point to make Fletch. Personally I can't understand what you are trying to say as it is my understanding that possession of Class A & B drugs (a prerequisite to consumption, presumably) is already illegal.
Hence alcohol has a purchase age not an ingestion age.
It would solve the issue however.
Diannah says...
11:23am Sat 22 Sep 12