Police claim ‘significant success’

Sergeant Adrian Fox, of the New Deal police team, told the Messenger that their recent increased presence on Ellesmere Green had reduced the drug dealing, they’d even been asked by shop keepers if the dealers had gone elsewhere.

Superintendent Brennan agreed there had been significant success, including the recent huge cannabis seizure, but that police action often does just ‘shift it about’. “In the long term drugs have to be squeezed out by the community, and tackled by partnerships of local people and agencies.”

Police say that there is still a major problem with hard drugs, particularly crack cocaine, being sold in Burngreave, although no worse than many other areas. They blame much of the trade on people from outside Burngreave. Adrian Fox told us, “if we had the resources, we could still stop large numbers of people every day, visiting Burngreave from outside Sheffield looking to buy drugs.

Many residents complain the dealing has moved to other areas, often on residential streets, but that despite numerous complaints little action is taken. Some feel that the police tolerate dealing in Burngreave in a way that they wouldn’t in other areas of Sheffield.

Superintendent Brennan told the Messenger that the police didn’t tolerate any street dealing anywhere, but that they were often overwhelmed with information and couldn’t respond immediately.

“Don’t stop telling us though,” said Superintendent Brennan. “All information is logged and often proves important later, it takes time to mount effective operations.”