POLICE TAKE ACTION TO TACKLE DRUG MENACE IN CULLOMPTON

Sgt Jacqui Chinn said: "It would be silly to think that a town of this size
would be free of drugs, but our level of drugs is low compared to
nationally. "In Cullompton they are rare, fortunately. I'm glad I live in
Devon as opposed to an inner city area," she said.

"It's one of our objectives as a force that we put a lot of time and
investment into targeting the sale of controlled drugs."

The death of Wayne Popple from a heroin overdose given to him in a flat in
New Cut, right in the centre of town, can hardly have failed to shock the
community.

So what are the police in Cullompton doing about it?

"The man involved in the Wayne Popple case wasn't local, that's important
to note," Sgt Chinn says.

"There are a small minority of people who use drugs in their lifestyle and
an even smaller minority who supply them."

Cannabis, currently a class B drug which could soon be downgraded to the
less serious class C by the Government, is the substance officers in
Cullompton come across the most, she said.

"It's still a small minority and we deal with it with arrests and referrals
to the Exeter drugs project so they can get help rather than just
punishment through the courts."

But the drug is still illegal, she warned.

"There's often a misunderstanding among young people that it's no longer
illegal, but it is still a controlled drug in category B and possession is
an arrestable offence."

Town councillors in Cullompton were worried when Devon and Cornwall Police
figures for the six months up to September showed a large increase in
drug-related offences in the town, most of which were for possession of
cannabis.

But Sgt Chinn said people should see it as proof that her officers were
getting to grips with the problem.

"As a crime figure, drugs are strange: if we look for them we find them so
the numbers go up.

"The more positive action we take then its only naturally going to increase
the statistics.

"My officers are told to take action if they suspect someone is carrying drugs.

"That's positive for me because it shows we are actually doing our job.

"The drugs are going to be there whether we look for them or not."