Drug dealing and drug taking has become increasingly open in parts of Oxford. We are seeing it in the number of discarded needles that we’re finding, and the number of reports we’re receiving from concerned residents.

Oxford City Council, Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council believe that no one should have to put up with persistent and unchallenged drug dealing and taking in their community, so we have joined forces and pooled resources to create the new Oxford Public Spaces Drugs Taskforce.

The taskforce will target three hotspots at a time – currently Grandpont, Meadow Lane, and in and around South Park – and carry out bespoke activity to tackle drug dealing and taking in the area, including covert and high-visibility patrols, arrests of drug dealers, intelligence gathering, engaging with the community, clearing foliage to improve sightlines, improving street lighting, or installing security measures such as CCTV cameras.

All the work follows the principles of Clear, Hold and Build – clear the area of the drugs-related activity through arrests and disruption techniques, hold the area through high-visibility patrols and improved intelligence, and build back up the community use of the area through community events and neighbourhood watch schemes.

The new taskforce consists of a police sergeant, two police officers, two City Council-funded police community support officers, and a City Council Problem Solving Officer. But it will also draw on other police and local authority resources when needed, including police officers and teams such as the mounted and dogs sections, the City Council’s community safety team and the County Council’s fire service.

The taskforce will also be operating with a new approach: Everyone who reports drug activity in Oxford to Thames Valley Police or Oxford City Council from now on will receive a call back from the taskforce within a few days and then again after six weeks to follow up on the original report, check on the progress in the area, and inform the resident of actions that have been taken to tackle the issues reported.

This new joint approach to tackling drugs is already having an impact. In recent weeks, for example, the taskforce has carried out a series of work in South Park, including clearing vegetation to improve sightlines across the park, moving a bench into a more visible location, carrying out covert and high-visibility patrols, and attending community meetings.

Between mid-August and mid-October, the taskforce has already called back 101 residents who had reported drugs-related issues, made 13 arrests, and analysed 606 piece of intelligence from members of the public.

The taskforce is working closely with Oxfordshire County Council’s social care team, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Oxford’s drug recovery service Turning Point to help refer drug users into treatment and safeguard vulnerable people who may be exploited by organised crime groups.

But to be most effective, the taskforce needs your help.

If you witness drug dealing or drug taking in your community, please report it to Thames Valley Police online via: www.thamesvalley.police.uk/tua.

And if you find discarded needles, please report them to Oxford City Council by visiting: www.oxford.gov.uk/needles. All discarded needles will be picked up within one hour during office hours and within two hours outside office hours.

Working together, we can tackle open drug dealing and drug taking in Oxford.

- Councillor Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council Board Member for a Safer and Greener Environment

Superintendent Joe Kidman, Local Police Area Commander for Oxford

Gary Coupar, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager