National Tackling Drugs Week: Three-pronged approach to war on drugs

Jun 10 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

But DCI Knopwood said punishing those who commit crime because of drugs was only part of the approach.

“When it comes to enforcement, we can only do so much,” he says.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a sticking plaster, but we are limited in terms of what we can do.

“We can’t just bang everyone up, otherwise it’s a revolving door. I think it has taken us a while to realise that.”

DCI Knopwood and his officers look at the drugs problem on a week-to-week basis. At the start of the week they assess what they hope to achieve and set themselves “realistic” targets.

He says: “We have very similar drugs problems to other towns – on the one hand there is low level usage leading to acquisitive crime. On the other is organised drug dealing.

“Because we are so diverse geographically, it does not make sense to have a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Chief Inspector Phill Wright is in charge of Kirklees’ neighbourhood policing teams.

He said: “Drugs cause misery and we are working hand-in-hand with other agencies on this problem.

“If people tell us, they can rest assured that we will do something.

“It might not be the classic boot through the door, because that’s not always the answer.

“But we will act.”