Presentation by DC Clive Tompkins from Thames Valley Police

DC Clive Tompkins of the Thames Valley Police Force DC Clive Tompkins is the Area Drugs Intelligence Co-ordinator for the Thames Valley Police Drug Awareness Team. Clive addressed a breakfast meeting of the MKGU Rotary Club in May 2006 and explained that he had 23 years' service in Kilton Keynes with a CID background and 6 years as a drugs specialist. The police are working with the drugs action team developing community initiatives through the Fletcher House link. According to Home Office figures, 90% of imported drugs into the country are not intercepted. Half of all organised crime involves drugs and in the UK there are 300,000 drug users. Drugs are smuggled into the country by various routes, but as an example yardie swallowers will secrete about £29,000 of drugs at a time in their stomachs. In Milton Keynes from January to December, 2005 there were 2,238 drug related reports and £44,000 of street drugs were seized.

Some examples of street prices for drugs were given. These include heroin at £40-50 per gram, normally sold in £10 or £20 bags. Cocaine is £40-50 per gram and crack is sold at £20 per rock. Methadone is £5 for 50 mls and Ecstasy has a street price of £2-5 and a club price of £5 to give a high of 6-7 hours. LSD is £2-3 per tab, amphetamines are £3-5 per gm and cannabis is £50-70 per oz. Purity levels for heroin are 42-54%, cocaine is 34-73% and crack is 34-82%. Drugs are frequently adulterated with caffeine, paracetamol and griseofulvin.

The main source of drugs in Milton Keynes is from street users and dealers. The dealers are now coming from London and they are supplied by mid-market operators. The method used is to establish a network of dealers who are supplied by vehicles on the main road network, normally where estates link to the grid roads. Requests are made by mobile phone and the dealers only carry small amounts at a time usually secreted in their mouth, and then have a stash in a secure location to replenish stock.

Drug dealing is a closed market in this area and new dealers need a good introduction to avoid being caught in turf wars. Milton Keynes is not a high crack house area and there is very little street sex trade linked with firearms and drug dealing which is a major issue for many older towns.

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