Success for joint drugs initiative

An initiative to rid the streets of crack
cocaine in a north London neighbourhood has been praised during a
visit by regeneration minister Sally Keeble.

More than 30 crack dens in the Seven Sisters
New Deal for Communities area have been shut down as a result of
the joint initiative between the police and members of the local
community.

A hotline for people to give information about
local dealers was a major factor in many arrests.

Keeble said that Seven Sisters had suffered
from a high level of crime and drug use for a number of years and
people had felt unsafe on the streets.

“The huge effort by police and the important
role of local people in identifying known dealers in the area has
resulted in the closure of many crack dens in the NDC area alone,”
she said.

NDC money has led to the reopening of a police
station in the area and the funding of two new posts to staff the
station’s reception.

The New Deal for Communities was launched in
September 1998 and operates in 39 neighbourhoods in England. It is
a 10-year programme testing out the approaches set out in the
National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal.

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