OPERATIONS to disrupt the supply of a drug known as spice are being carried out by police across Barnsley in a bid to rid the town of the substance.
The Chronicle can reveal that six people, suspected to be dealers, have been arrested this month on conspiracy to supply the drug after a district plan was formed as a direct response to problems in the town centre, where users have been seen in a semi-conscious state.
Said to be fast-acting according to Public Health England, the ‘zombie drug’, a synthetic cannabinoid substance formerly known as a legal high, takes effect within five to ten minutes and lasts for three to five hours, leading police resources to be stretched due to the time-consuming nature of dealing with users.
Ch Supt Scott Green told the Chronicle that he is confident the new plan - which includes a raft of measures to stop both dealers and users - will be successful.
“Spice is a complex issue as it’s not traditional antisocial behaviour as people know it - users aren’t being verbally or physically aggressive - but what they are doing is of course antisocial,” he said.
“There’s a role for the police, the council and Public Health England and we are working together to solve it.
“It’s obviously distressing for the public to see a user high on spice and it’s happening in the town centre, Barnsley’s busiest place, so people can be assured that there will be an increased police presence in the coming months.
“There’s a dedicated town centre team in place, based at Churchfields, and there will also be more stop and searches done on people suspected to be involved with spice.
“Spice is cheap and it’s taken quickly, so finding users in possession is rare but the operations will disrupt the network.”
Police - who have recently broken up a fentanyl supply network in the town centre - want the spice operation to follow the same path to continue removing drugs from Barnsley’s streets.
Civil injunctions - which ban people from entering the town centre which is subject to a public space protection order (PSPO) - are another weapon which are being considered.
Councillors and businesses have complained to police about the negative effect spice users are having on trade and shoppers in the area, which is undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment.
However, the work will not stop for police once dealers and users have been dealt with, as drug treatment referrals will form a key part of users’ aftercare to prevent the problem reappearing in the future.
“It’s important we do that as users need to be on the right pathway,” Ch Supt Green added. “The majority of these people are vulnerable and by working with partners, it ensures they have accommodation in place following the police’s intervention.
“The response has been designed to impact the supply and consumption of spice in Barnsley and I’m confident what’s been put in place will stop the problem.”
