Big Police Drugs Bust in York

[Maljonic]

I just got home to was nearly run down by 20 police officers in riot gear darting across the street. They stormed the flat of a local drug dealer and they've been in there for ages. Two people have been arrested and taken away and all these local chavs keep showing up to go in the house, to see there chav mates in one of the flats, and they keep getting told to go away.

It's quite exciting, there's dogs and people with purple rubber gloves on. I can see a woman examining an umbrella, the window of the top floor flat is right opposite mine, they really do search everything.

I'm taking pictures too.

 

[Raven]

show pics!

 

[Maljonic]

Stupid flash went off, they're onto me...

 

[Maljonic]

There's van from http://www.safeestates.com/ , they look well rough. They just carried in a bid metal door, I guess to cover up the one the police must have smashed in.

 

[Maljonic]

Just had a thought, I was assuming it was a drugs bust because it was a drug dealer's flat, but it could be something worse - they've been in there for like 2 hours now.

 

[Will]

They spend ages searching during drug raids. Especially if they don't find anything.

 

[Maljonic]

I think they finished now, some of them must have gone out the back way but I think they've all left.

I'll look out for the story in the news/paper - then write my own version with pictures.

 

[TdC]

It's quite exciting, there's dogs and people with purple rubber gloves on.

my, I have the quotesdb working overtime today

 

[Maljonic]

Heh.

 

[Paradroid]

What a complete waste of time, money, and, resources.


I was on a team building course during the week which was run by ex-coppers and they all admitted the drugs war is a farce, also, too many police have been taken off regular "beat" duties for special projects (drugs being one of them). In one particular area in Glasgow there used to be 20 polis on foot and in cars, in the same area there's now 2 ... with one car.

Every few years the government "analyse" its policies towards drugs and they always end up with the same conclusion - illegal, scurge of society, more money for policing, courts & prisons.

Do you know what the definition of Insanity is? Benjamin Franklin gave a good description:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Our anti-drugs policies are insane, I tells ya!

I honestly believe that the government people who keep upholding these same stupid ideas, repeating the same mistakes, are either naive or corrupt. They either don't understand the problem (and any detail within, or environmental factors outwith), or they're complicit (back-handers from black market drug dealers).


My two pennith.

I have solutions, but nobody's asked.

 

[nath]

I have solutions, but nobody's asked.

What are your solutions?

 

[Will]

Knows this place, we will have either legalisation, or burning junkies...

 

[Maljonic]

I might agree in most cases, but in this case I think the house across the street is a sort of halfway house for homeless people, with individuals in their own flats. At least one of the flats has young kids in it, aged 16 and 17. Also it's been known for ages that drug dealers live there, selling heroin and crack - none of the lightweight stuff - and they were always inviting the local youths into their flat. I'm only surprised it didn't get busted earlier.

In fact I didn't recognise the people they hauled out, the drug dealers I'd seen living there before moved out a couple of weeks ago so I don't know who these people were - but they were in the same flat as the old dealers. I think the old dealers may have been scared off by whoever was arrested today (I thought they'd left because of all the mad chavs that moved in above them in the attic), might even be them that grassed them up.

 

[Paradroid]

What are your solutions?

Well, now you're asking...

First off, we have to admit some common home-truths.

1) No matter what anyone says or does (governments, police etc) there will always be a black market for any/all goods...always has, always will be. So any solutions we come up with will always have that as a back-drop or counter-argument. If doesn't matter if you make something legal or illegal you'll always find people selling stuff illigitimately.

2) Prohibition doesn't work. We can't stop people doing whatever they want. Seems a bit obvious doesn't it? - but prohibition laws are always going to fail to stop people doing whatever they want. People exercise there own choice, laws are in place to just mop-up the aftermath. Did the illegal status of drugs stop that drug-den operating in York? Will it stop it re-opening once they've bailed from custody? Will it ever stop anyone from selling drugs? No, no, and, no.

3) The global economy doesn't care if drugs are legal or illegal, all that drug money ends up in the international banking system one way or another. Whether it's British chav-scum making a few quid on the side or major drug trafficers working across continents, all that money flows from the masses into the banks. If drugs were sold legitametly in licenced premises, the money will end up in the same bank. My point is, international economies wouldn't be effected by the legal status of drugs...but it does effect the financial positions of the middle-men (the middle-men are either the ligitimate businessmen or shady suits swapping suitcases in parking lots).

4) National economies are effected by the legal status of drugs. Direct and indirect interference with crop growing nations effects their economy (how do you persuade a farmer from growing a poppy crop when it yields twice the profit of any other? Supply & demand anyone?). Think of all that hard-earned flowing from the great British public into the bank accounts of dodgy-dealers. I personally don't feel happy that we're funding an entire "class" of criminals.


I think we should legalise all drugs. Soft drugs can be sold in licensed premises, just like alcohol - hard drugs can be dispensed at clinics, just like methadone. Billions would be diverted from local and overseas black-markets to local tax donations.

The reality is drugs are here, they're queer, and they're here to stay. We have to admit this fact and divert resources to dealing with the potential problems that drug-taking creates. Our courts and prisons would be freed from these shackles and you'll see real, tougher, sentancing for real criminals. The huge amount of police resources made available would also mean a far more visible and effective police force.

Imagine the reduction in crime if junkies no longer needed to rob and steal for their next fix - the ones who decide to continue robbing'n'stealing (so they can continue to get stuff on the black-market, for whatever reason) would be met with an effective police force ... instead of the bullshit we put up with today in the UK.

It's radical, to some - but I think it's a logical response.

 

[Mey]

Your argument whilst rational is flawed, legalisation does not solve crime. Junkies will still not have jobs and support, they will still need to thieve and rob to feed their now legal habit.

Hard drug users are wasters, always will be.

The solution, education, ambition and common sense.

 

[Aada]

I just got home to was nearly run down by 20 police officers in riot gear darting across the street. They stormed the flat of a local drug dealer and they've been in there for ages. Two people have been arrested and taken away and all these local chavs keep showing up to go in the house, to see there chav mates in one of the flats, and they keep getting told to go away.

It's quite exciting, there's dogs and people with purple rubber gloves on. I can see a woman examining an umbrella, the window of the top floor flat is right opposite mine, they really do search everything.

I'm taking pictures too.

Too many nosey bastards nowa days.. i can't even pull up in my drive without everyone in the vacinity peeking out of their blinds.

I enjoy eyeballing them though until they eventually wonder off.

 

[Maljonic]

I don't know, there's always been nosey bastards. It's worse now though because if your neighbours see anything bad happening they'll just sit there and watch it happen, not like in the olden days...

 

[throdgrain]

Old Bill love those situations. I experienced something like it once. They was all miserable , then suddenly they was sorted, and they were running up and down the stairs, laughing and joking and all sorts.
Fuckers, I thought to be honest

 

[Paradroid]

...
The solution, education, ambition and common sense.

I agree, education is the only tool in the box which will help drug users (potential or current).

Your argument whilst rational is flawed, legalisation does not solve crime. ...

...that's what I said. There'll always be black markets, people will always exercise there own choice, making anything illegal won't stop people doing it.

...
Junkies will still not have jobs and support, they will still need to thieve and rob to feed their now legal habit.
...

...hard drugs can be dispensed at clinics, just like methadone...

The reality is it's cheaper to give free drugs to drug addicts than to deal with the problem the way we are. Right now we're paying the costs for victims and insurance companies, the police, the courts, the prison service...and it doesn't solve/change anything! Insanity!

 

[caLLous]

Did someone say free drugs??

Paradroid, when you say "dispensed" how do you mean it? I don't think giving drugs away is the answer at all, no matter how much Bodhi approves. So the junkies don't have to steal to support their addictions/habits... Is giving them drugs going to motivate them to go out and get a job/education? No, of course it's not - they'll just spend even more time off their tits and become even more set in their self-destructive ways.

Preventative is the road to go down, the government just need to stop getting it wrong (apt Franklin quote btw). I'm not saying I have the answer or even a suggestion because I don't. I wouldn't want to be making these sort of decisions. There isn't a "right answer" or a quick fix but good luck to the government sorting it out.

 

[Mey]

The reality is it's cheaper to give free drugs to drug addicts than to deal with the problem the way we are.

True, but I’d rather my country wasn't full of people so stoned/wasted out of there head that they didn't know where they lived.

Right now we're paying the costs for victims and insurance companies, the police, the courts, the prison service..

Such is the way of capitalism.

 

[tris-]

holland got it right imo.

take certain drugs, but only at this place. buy drugs, but only off us.

deal in the street, posses heroin etc and we are gonng to kick your fucking ass.

 

[DaGaffer]

holland got it right imo.

take certain drugs, but only at this place. buy drugs, but only off us.

deal in the street, posses heroin etc and we are gonng to kick your fucking ass.

Pretty debatable tbh. The Dutch model was seen as successful, but there's a pretty big backlash against it right now.

 

[TdC]

true, and tbh, if we ever really had state-controlled coffeeshops the crims would just go do something else.
don't forget, Holland is a shade unique because the way things are tolerated here is decades in the making.

 

[Will]

Dutch society is having a weird right wing backlash against everything at the moment, not just against its drugs policy.

 

[tris-]

i noticed something about the laws changing. anyone know if they still are? hope not tbh, im going there in 3 weeks :/

 

[TdC]

yes, laws are changing. walk down the street with a spliff on and you'll prolly get a talking to

 

[tris-]

how about cafes though, will they still be knocking out?

 

[TdC]

Smoke inside a cafe where they aren't selling and you will prolly be asked to leave

 

[tris-]

ok but what im asking is, are cafes still selling it!