Greenbank, Plymouth is 'drugs hotspot' say residents

Public meeting on Thursday

Residents in the Greenbank area of Plymouth say the area has become a drugs hotspot and agencies which are supposed to tackle the problem aren’t listening local people.  

The comments come ahead of a public meeting on Thursday 17 March to discuss the concerns and what might be done. 

Some people in the area say they believe the issue became much worse at the start of lockdown. 

One, who did not want to give his name, said: “Within a couple of weeks there were people sitting on the side of the street, drinking alcohol, getting drunk causing abuse to people.

“There were situations where we were beginning to notice the smell of cannabis in the area. 

“There are people openly using substances in the streets and openly dealing in the back lane.”

Community campaigner and Labour local election candidate for Drake ward, Charlotte Holloway, agrees and says drug deals are being “flagrantly” conducted on the streets of the area; sometimes just a short distance from a city centre primary school.  

“With drug hotspots a stone’s throw from my old school Mount Street Primary, I can understand why residents are concerned and angry,” said Ms Holloway.

“I know that too many people who have tried to report incidents, which have risen over the pandemic, feel powerless and that not enough is being done to deter drug dealers from our local streets and parks.”

The concerned resident adds that he has lived in the area for decades but now feels he may be driven out. 

“I’ve upgraded my security to the point where I’m living in Fort Knox,” he says. 

“I’m considering selling and moving out. 

“Every evening around about 9.30 to 10 pm there’s screaming, shouting in the street; 4 in the morning with people banging on other people’s doors and shouting names up windows and stuff.”

He does not blame the individuals caught up in substance abuse who, he feels, are often vulnerable.  He suggests the whole community should be involved in helping to find solutions rather than leaving the responsibility in the hands of agencies who might not know the area. 

“My concern mainly is – potentially local authority, potentially housing associations, potentially charities that place people within the local community without any consultation or any notice to local residents.

“The problem is not the people; it’s the agencies and the organisations that place the people here not listening, not caring, just meeting some arbitrary target without realising that there are consequences for the community and the community is suffering from those consequences.”

John Michael Spurling helps run the Onward House community centre in Greenbank.  He agrees that some agencies have fallen short of what is needed, often because of staffing problems or poor management.  

“I think what happens is it tends to get taken over by an outside organisation or someone gets the contract and sometimes it’s perhaps not as good as it was before. 

“It’s down to finance really I think and paying people minimum wages and sometimes people not being as experienced as perhaps they should be. 

“And so the general situation that we had was bad management.”

Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner, Alison Hernandez says tackling drugs is a major priority in her police and crime plan.

In a recent operation in Plymouth, officers worked with the Project Medusa team – a Merseyside-led initiative set up to tackle county lines drug dealing [in which drugs are transported between regions] and child criminal exploitation.  Police arrested 46 people in the two-day crackdown.  

Thursday’s public meeting will also be attended by Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Labour MP, Luke Pollard.

Mr Pollard said: “It’s not okay that these drug deals are being done by family homes and near local schools. 

“I want to hear from local residents on what they are seeing and feeling, and look at solutions to make Greenbank streets feel safer.”

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Onward House Community Centre.