Drugs update - Operation Crackdown

Report: 5
Date: 13 February 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This paper supports the previous report on drug performance submitted to the October PSPM meeting and provides details of recent activity, specifically Operation Crackdown and the current "Rat on a Rat" campaign.

A. Recommendations

Members are asked to note the report.

B. Supporting information

Background to Operation Crackdown

Where Class A drug street markets and crack houses exist there is an environment which encourages and supports crime, predominantly street crime and burglary. Individual and uncoordinated enforcement against these drug markets may only offer short-term solutions to disruption of the market place and crime reductions.

Operation Crackdown brings a prioritised and co-ordinated enforcement action against a number of Class A markets within a short time frame, with the aim of disrupting drugs markets and dealers, and the criminal activity associated with them. The Operation also seeks to gain an improvement in understanding of these markets.

Operation Crackdown ran initially for two weeks from 20 November 2000 and was the first of its kind. The focus of the Operation was on ten boroughs:

• Brent
• Lambeth
• Camden
• Newham
• Hackney 
• Southwark
• Haringey 
• Tower Hamlets
• Islington
• Westminster

Operation Crackdown methodology

The Operation consisted of the following distinct stages:

• Intelligence – the identification of target areas for open and closed markets and development of intelligence relating to dealers
• Execution/development – the arrest of targeted dealers using a range of covert and overt tactics
• Evaluation – the activity allowed the study of the drugs market in a far more focused and detailed way. This helped to show how co-ordinated action in individual boroughs affects the drugs market and to evaluate the knock on effects in neighbouring boroughs. Lessons learned from the original campaign will be taken forward for future operations. The good practice identified during the operation is also being used to feed the Operational Solutions Database

Support for Operation Crackdown

The Crackdown Support Desk provided tactical advice and support for boroughs. Operation Crackdown was further supported by the use of forensics, partnerships with outside agencies and a media strategy to publicise and highlight individual borough's initiatives and successes.

Forensic support

During the Operation, emphasis was placed on the increased use of forensic support and the fast tracking of submissions. Forensic retrievals, particularly fingerprints and DNA, provided important intelligence enabling the linking of people to premises, people to people and premises to premises. Forensic products also have the potential to link recovered property to crimes and also link back to unsolved crimes. Forensic retrieval at premises has led to the following:

• 29 new profiles added to the National DNA database
• some DNA profiles show links with other areas in the MPS and also with another police force
• burglars have been identified
• a murder suspect was detected

Local partnerships

One important aspect of Crackdown was the use of partnerships. In particular, borough police have worked closely in partnership with local authorities. This has included the communication to police of useful intelligence, for example, where local residents have informed their council officers of problems regarding anti-social behaviour or drug dealing. Where police are aware of breaches of tenancy agreements relating to drug offenders, this information has been communicated back to the council. In cases where raids have involved council property, close liaison with council officers has enabled the securing of premises to prevent the return of drug offenders.

Publicity and public response

During the execution of Operation Crackdown, the MPS received a great deal of positive publicity from a wide range of sources. Local newspapers in particular frequently reported upon the numerous raids and initiatives that boroughs were undertaking and highlighted the successful outcomes of these operations. Headlines such as 'Crackdown Success' and 'New Blitz on Drug Barons' featured heavily on front pages.

Following the execution of a number of search warrants in support of Crackdown, the public support for police action in the majority of cases, was immense. Where the execution of the warrant took place in partnership with the local authority or housing trust, and this resulted in the occupants being evicted and the premises closed, a letter was displayed informing the immediate community of the police action. Police activity has attracted the attention of the immediate community and the purpose of the searches has been clearly evident. The purpose of the posters was to inform the community that police have taken positive action against those individuals who used premises owned by the local authority or housing trust to facilitate their criminal activity.

Results of the operation
Judicial Disposals for supply and possession of Class A drugs

The following chart shows the level of judicial disposals over recent months on the ten focus boroughs and provides a breakdown of the type of Class A JDs. The highest monthly level of judicial disposals was obtained during November 2000.

It should be noted that in some cases where police action is against a multi-occupancy premises and leads to a number persons charged, counting rules may dictate only one JD as a result of this activity. It should also be noted that the aims of the operation were not simply to increase the number of JDs but rather to disrupt and understand the drugs market.

The results of the operation are being independently evaluated by South Bank University in terms of the impact on crime levels in the boroughs.

Rat on a Rat

The 'Rat on a Rat' advertising campaign was launched on 15th January 2001 and targets drug dealers by encouraging calls to Crimestoppers by members of the public. The 2001 'Rat on a Rat' campaign builds on the success of the campaign held a year ago which saw an impressive response from members of the public who played a crucial role by providing drugs intelligence anonymously. Last year's campaign helped generate more than 2000 calls to Crimestoppers.

C. Financial implications

£800k of the £9m additional Government funding for street crime was set aside to fund the initial operation crackdown.

D. Review arrangements

The next quarterly report will be provided for the May meeting.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Lesley Nichols, MPS Corporate Performance Analysis Unit.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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