07/10/2007 00:00:00
UK: Special report: Class B for Battersea
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Drugs are big business in this notorious corner of south London.
Downgrading cannabis didn't help – will zero tolerance do any better?
Tony Thompson reports.
Less than a week after a "drug exclusion zone" was introduced, it's all
too easy to believe that all the dealers have fled Battersea's notorious
Winstanley and York Road estates.
This south-London hotchpotch of high-rise, low-rise, flats, maisonettes
and town houses – a confusing concrete warren with many dead-ends –
seems almost deserted. Despite the area's reputation, most of the deals
that take place in public are the result of prior arrangements, and
buyers will usually make their way to a specific address in order to
pick up their drugs. Dealers' mobile telephone numbers are circulated
throughout the drug underworld, and arranging delivery is so
straightforward it has been likened to ordering a pizza.
"You won't find many dealers out on the streets," said one shopkeeper,
who asked not to be named. "They only come out when they are needed."
And, when they are needed, they operate with Thatcherite efficiency.
Dealing on the estate works on a typical pyramid system. Large gangs
bring in wholesale supplies to be stored in "stash houses". These are
then filtered down to street level by youth gangs. Prices are on a par
with the rest of the capital – an ounce of mid-quality weed sells for
around £55. Crack cocaine is £10 a rock and heroin around £80 per gram.
Winstanley's popularity has more to do with its location than its prices.
Dozens of CCTV cameras have been installed throughout the estate, but
dealers know the blindspots and do all their dealing there. Some drugs
are kept in flats and houses while others are secreted in rubbish bins,
walls or bushes.
After complaints from residents, an exclusion zone was introduced to the
Latchmere area, which includes both estates, and the Crown Prosecution
Service has given police the power to arrest anyone found with any
amount of cannabis.
The scheme represents a major policy U-turn. Cannabis was downgraded
from a class B to a class C drug in January 2004 after successful trials
of a "softly, softly" approach to the drug in Lambeth, also in south London.
Arguing that valuable police resources were being wasted on prosecuting
those caught with the drug, area commander Brian Paddick introduced a
scheme where those found in possession of small quantities of cannabis
were merely given a warning. Since reclassification there has been
increasing evidence of serious health issues surrounding stronger
varieties of cannabis known as skunk, which has become increasingly
popular. With little fear of arrest there is also anecdotal evidence
that suggests use of the drug had increased among the young.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has recently announced a review of the
law which could see cannabis become a class B drug again, attracting
stiffer penalties for users and dealers alike.
Under the scheme there will be no more warnings to those caught with
cannabis in the Latchmere area. Those without previous convictions who
admit possession will receive cautions; all others caught with cannabis
will be charged and have to appear in court.
Although the scheme has met with approval on the Winstanley Estate, not
all residents think it will tackle the problem. "I don't think zero
tolerance will make any difference," said the shopkeeper, whose business
sits in the heart of one of the estate's most notorious areas. "All the
dealers out there, they can get you whatever you want. Weed, blow, rock.
It's all the same to them. The idea that they might stop dealing because
they might get arrested for cannabis is nonsense because most of them
are dealing crack cocaine too."
The Winstanley Estate gave birth to So Solid Crew, the rap collective
known as much for members' links to gun crime as their musical talents.
It is also the place to find a newly opened restaurant by Dragons' Den
star Levi Roots, creator of Reggae Reggae sauce. But the area's real
claim to fame involves its long history as a place to buy drugs.
Drugs are a problem throughout the capital but various factors combine
to make Winstanley particularly problematic. The estate sits by Clapham
Junction station, the busiest in Europe, with more than 2,000 trains
each day. Police have evidence that many users go by rail to the estate
to buy drugs. Some of those arrested have come from as far away as
Surrey or Essex.
Also, Winstanley's residents include many problem drug users. In the
past these users were targeted by dealers who would take over their
property to use as a base to sell drugs. The occupants would be
compensated with free drugs.
The estate is only a stone's throw from the busy high street with its
glitzy vodka bars, gastropubs and boutiques. This too adds to the
Winstanley's problems as many users take goods stolen from nearby shops
directly to the estate to exchange for drugs.
Marlene Price, the chairwoman of Latchmere Safer Neighbourhoods Team,
sums it up: "All sorts of people, many of them criminals, come because
they know they can buy cannabis here. This problem has got worse over
the past months because this message seems to have spread. Crime is
rising on the estate as a result. It is also very unpleasant for
residents who have to walk past youths smoking cannabis in communal areas."
During the crack boom of the early 1990s, the now derelict Duke of
Wellington pub became the centre of the south-London trade. A series of
high-profile police raids helped take out the main gangs but the area
was then blighted by shootings as smaller gangs fought to take over
control of the turf.
In 2001, police in Wandsworth identified a new "open drugs market" for
crack cocaine operating on the Winstanley Estate, and launched Operation
Oval, an undercover investigation, to combat it.
Nine main dealers were arrested, and, such was the strength of evidence
against them, they all pleaded guilty in court and received prison terms
of up to three years. At first the loss of key dealers led to a sharp
fall in dealing and street robberies. But once those arrested returned
to the streets, the problem came back with them.
In 2005, police imposed one of the first dispersal orders after
residents complained of being too frightened to leave their homes at
night because of intimidation from gangs. The order allowed police to
move on groups of youths after 9pm and led to a significant reduction in
crime, though recently the problems have started to return.
Since then the Winstanley Estate has become notorious internationally.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration lists Bernard Degraft, an estate
resident, as a fugitive in a case originating in Atlanta, Georgia,
involving a 150-strong marijuana, cocaine and heroin smuggling ring
based in the US, Canada and England.
The letters SUK can be found on walls and fences throughout the estate,
the tag of a local gang known as the Stick'em Up Kidz. With dozens of
users travelling to the area in search of drugs, the remote parts of the
estate present rich pickings for street robbers.
Police/community relations have been improved following the introduction
of Dixon of Dock Green style neighbourhood officers, but residents are
still reluctant to report crime because they fear reprisals.
"It's the kind of place where you really have to mind your own business
if you want to live in peace," said Matthew Finley, a labourer and
long-time resident. "There are places I won't go after dark... It's just
not safe."
With so many crackdowns proving ineffective in the long term, many
residents are sceptical that the current proposals will be any more
successful. But Marlene Price is cautiously optimistic: "I believe the
introduction of zero tolerance will be a major deterrent. It is
important that people know if they come here to buy or sell drugs, they
will be arrested."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article3036013.ece
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12891
Author:
Independent on Sunday via UKCIA
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