THE BIG MAN OUT TO RID THE CITY'S STREETS OF DRUGS

Detective Inspector Jeff Hill watched intently as nine men and women were
led into the dock at Peterborough Magistrates' Court.

They stood accused of a variety of offences involving Class A drugs, after
they were arrested as part of a city-wide police crackdown called Operation
Harrier. DI Hill is in charge of the operation which aims to make a dent in
Peterborough's growing drug problem.

The towering 6ft 5ins 35-year-old cut a stern figure as he sat in Court
Two, wearing a neatly pressed white short-sleeved shirt and tie.

A man and a women who appeared before the court had been arrested months
earlier, but the other seven were arrested following swoops on their city
homes on Monday and Tuesday.

A further 11 suspects were arrested yesterday after the police carried out
a number of dawn raids across the city.

The police have recovered heroin and ecstasy, although not crack cocaine
which they know is freely available in the city

DI Hill speaks with real conviction about helping rid the streets of drug
pushers and helping addicts to clean up their lives.

It is clear he takes his job very seriously and is keen to do what he can
to put dealers in jail, which he believes will then cut down on a lot of
burglary and car crime committed by the addicts who buy their supplies.

He told The Evening Telegraph: "The use and abuse of Class A drugs, such as
heroin and crack, are directly linked to crimes such as burglary and thefts
from cars. A large proportion of crime is committed to fund habits.

"By tackling these drug markets we are going to have a knock-on effect in
relation to other crimes. We are basically killing two birds with one stone.

"We are tackling drug abuse in its rawest form and having an impact on
crime which affects communities and individuals.

"Drugs affect families, communities and society as a whole, so by tackling
these problems, and anti-social behaviour as a whole, we will effectively
empower and rebuild communities."

Operation Harrier is the latest in a series of high-profile busts for
Peterborough police - many of which have been driven by DI Hill, who joined
the Cambridgeshire force in 1989 and received a Chief Constable's
Commendation in 1993 for his role in the arrest of two armed robbers.

In 2000, DI Hill - who was then an acting Detective Inspector for the
police's northern division, which includes the city centre, Bretton,
Ravensthorpe, Welland, Fletton and Yaxley - ran an undercover operation -
Operation Aumont - which resulted in five people being convicted of selling
heroin in Cathedral Square.

One of those was Big Issue seller Karl Grierson, who had previously sold
the magazine to Prince Charles when he visited the city.

Another of those arrested was Carolyn Kennedy (30), who died of an overdose
on the day she was released from prison after serving a year.

The following year DI Hill was in charge of two huge drug busts.

Four people were jailed for their parts in a UKP2.7 million cannabis ring
in February. Karen Tomlinson (38), of Deene Court, Westwood, was sentenced
to 16 months, while Jason Dowell (34), of Naseby Close, Ravensthorpe, got
nine years, Daniel Hewitt (29), of Outfield, North Bretton, four-and-a-half
years, and Lorraine Dowell (55), of Finchfield, Parnwell, two years.

At special confiscation hearings, Tomlinson, Jason Dowell and Lorraine
Dowell were all ordered to sell their houses and other valuable belongings.
In the same month, James McKinsley (40), Jason Goss (32) and Christian
Wymer (30) were convicted for their role in a UKP60,000 cocaine ring.

The city men were all jailed for seven years after being found guilty of
conspiracy to supply drugs.

Since then, DI Hill has spent one year meticulously preparing for Operation
Harrier.