Statistics reveal drug-related crime hot spots

HOT SPOTS for drug-related crimes in St Austell have been revealed.

Statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) showed the number of drug-related crimes in the St Austell policing area since, and including, 2007, by street name.

The total was 633, which was made up of 91 in 2007, 106 in 2008, 136 in 2009, 168 in 2010 and 132 in 2011.

High Cross Street was named as the hottest spot, with a total of 23 crimes. This has increased annually with one in 2007, three in 2008, five in 2009, seven in 2010 and seven last year.

This compares with Newquay's highest number of recorded drug-related crimes, which was 45 in East Street, and Bodmin's, which was 23 in Victoria Square.

St Austell's Fore Street came second with 15 drug crimes reported since 2007, and the A390 and Cromwell Road were in joint third with 14 each.

Minorca Lane in Bugle had 12 drug-related crimes, Carlyon Road and Landrew Road, both in St Austell, and Polgrean Place in Par all had 11.

East Hill, Penwinnick Road and Trenowah Road, all in St Austell, each totted up a total of 10 drug-related crimes over the past five years.

St Austell police inspector Stuart Gibbons said: "Drug crime figures depend on a number of factors, for instance if we have targeted drug traders it has an impact on the availability of drugs.

"Increases can also be in relation to proactivity. So if we have operations targeting drug use it's likely to increase the figures. If officers have the time to be proactive, such as with stop-checks, it's also likely to increase the figures.

"Again, we have operations running in the town centre so people are more likely to be regularly stop-checked there."

However, the highest number of drug-related crimes in all was attributed to a "no street name" category. Steve Hawkins, assistant FOI officer at Devon and Cornwall Police, said this category refers to the total of all places within the policing area with no street names.

"This includes places throughout the sector that either don't have a street name, like a field or in the woods, but are not in a property so it counts as a street offence," he said.

"The incident at Trenance Downs [St Austell double murder] probably fitted that criteria," said Mr Gibbons.

"It's down to policing skills. Invariably people will perhaps smoke recreational drugs in isolated areas.

"If patrols come across cars parked in those areas with people inside they usually stop-check them."

Cornwall Councillor for Gover ward Jenny Stewart said: "I'm not surprised High Cross Street and Fore Street came top. I have been working with Cornwall Council, police and various other bodies so that we do these stop-checks and we do try to keep the drug-related crime at a minimum.

"The fear of crime is far worse than what's happening."