Rise in class A drugs a ‘major concern’
AN INCREASE in the use of cocaine in Guernsey is of major concern to the Head of Bailiwick Law Enforcement.
Ruari Hardy, speaking as the 2019 report was published, said he was pleased that last year there was an almost ten-fold rise in the seizures of controlled drugs: ‘This is an excellent result and it shows that Law Enforcement are really now working in the space that’s having an impact.
‘But I am very concerned about the increase in class A drugs such as cocaine.’
The increase in seizures and the appearance of more cocaine in the Bailiwick marks a change in drug behaviour: ‘We are very much aware of what is happening in the UK with respect to county lines, with respect to the violence associated with the drug culture in the UK, and both the Border Agency and the police are working continually to ensure that similar problems don’t reach our shores,’ said Mr Hardy.
‘County lines’ is the name given to the practice of gangs and organised crime networks to groom and exploit children to sell drugs, often by travelling across counties.
Another area of concern for Mr Hardy was that more and more cases of people who were detained by police featured drugs in the arrest: ‘A lot of people we are coming into contact with appear to be using drugs such as cannabis and other more serious class drugs.’
The threat locally is the higher street prices that drugs attract in Guernsey, leading to a temptation for organised crime to target jurisdictions such as the island, he said.
‘Part of our work isn’t only seizing drugs and arresting people in possession of drugs, it’s also about taking the money out of criminality and that’s where [combating] financial crime is also so important.’
Including cautions for drug possession, drug offences fell by 10 to 130 last year, from 140 in 2018. Of those, 76 cases involved possession.
A total of 44 cases have not yet been concluded.
