Co-operation the way to clear drugs from Soho

Published: 17 September 2010

OVER the weekend a major operation was undertaken by the police to address the menace of the street drug trade which has proved to be such a problem for Soho residents.

Led by the local Soho team, a co-ordinated force of officers supported by the Territorial Support Group working with large numbers of special constables (MSCs), specialist dogs team and others co-ordinated an operation undertaken both on the streets of Soho and in the surrounding transport hubs to identify those carrying drugs.

A temporary search facility in St Anne’s Gardens and a mobile police station in Wardour Street enabled those found to be carrying drugs to be processed swiftly without the need to take them to other police stations.

This was the second of such operations. The first has had a lasting effect and its repetition helps to get the message across that while Soho is a place to come to enjoy yourself it should not be seen as a place where there is a free for all in relation to drug sales and use.

These ongoing operations have the support of the council, the local community represented by the LGBT group, The Soho Society, the church and others as part of the way forward to address this issue. The problems associated with street drug use and the related crime to which it can lead and the feelings of unsafety in and around the drug dealing areas have affected Soho for years. However, operations such as this one alongside, and in support of, the regular work undertaken by the Safer Soho Team now provide a way forward.

The police have re-established a bond of trust with the community by demonstrably addressing these issues. However, it is still a work in progress which will only be successful in the longer term if we can achieve ongoing 

co-operation and continuity of the key individuals who share this objective so that their work can help provide a meaningful and permanent improvement to those affected by this problem.

Cllr Jonathan Glanz
Conservative, West End ward