Former police officer slams force’s inaction over drug dealing in New Milton

A FORMER police officer resorted to flushing down the toilet drugs he had found in the street after being unable to hand them over.

The pensioner, from New Milton, who wishes to remain anonymous, found cannabis in a plastic bag outside his home following what he says has been months of drug-dealing at flats opposite his address.

He went straight to New Milton Town Hall in Ashley Road – where local officers are based but are not readily available to the public – to report the matter, but was told by staff there were no police in the building.

“This was at 1pm on a Friday,” he said. “I was told I would have to go to Lymington.

“I then went round the back of the building, where I could see half a dozen police vehicles parked up, and banged on the door, but got no answer.

“I ended up flushing the drugs down the toilet – I don’t want that kind of thing in my home.”

The man, who has lived in New Milton with his wife for 40 years, said he has seen drug dealing at a block of flats opposite his home on a near-daily basis for the past two years.

“We sit in our lounge and can see everything that’s going on,” said the ex-officer, who worked across the New Forest and Waterside for nearly 20 years.

“This is a prolific drug dealer who is conducting about 20 deals a day.

“We see cars pulling up, kids coming on scooters, phone calls being made, and this dealer comes down before cash is exchanged for brown envelopes.”

The A&T has seen dozens of emails sent to Hampshire Constabulary reporting the alleged criminal activity, including correspondence with New Milton’s neighbourhood policing team and police and crime commissioner Donna Jones.

Contact has also been made with the housing association which manages the block.

“As a result I had uniformed officers come to my home in a marked vehicle, putting my wife and I at risk,” he said. “They said they were aware of what was going on but just didn’t have the manpower to deal with it.

“And the housing association has said that until police issue a Section 8 drugs warning letter, it is unable to act on a breach of the lease.

“My neighbours and I are completely fed up – we feel angry and frustrated that this man is getting away with it.

“In my day this never would have happened. We had officers out on patrol at night, and the highest crime detection rates in the county. We caught no end of known criminals.

“Where are the police now, and what are they doing?”

In response, New Milton Inspector Darren Ord said while investigations into drug-related offences do not always result in arrests, they help to “build up a rich picture around what is happening in the community and allow police to readily identify any trends of offences being committed”.

He continued: “It is important to note that drug-related harm isn’t just a policing issue to tackle; it requires support across all sectors and local partnerships, such as town councils and landlords, as an example.

“However, we want to reassure residents of New Milton that we take these reports seriously from members of the community and will continue to work with partners in order to disrupt ongoing activity; while providing support in relation to diversionary solutions to those involved in this form of criminality.

“Our local officers continue to conduct high-visibility patrols in the area to provide further reassurance to local residents.

“We would implore local communities to continue reporting any such concerns directly to us via the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary website, by calling 101 or directly liaising with a police officer when they are on duty and patrolling in the local community.

“Every call that local residents make to us is logged and allows us to take direct action where necessary and protect neighbourhoods from drug-related harm and anti-social behaviour.”

A spokesperson from the housing association which manages the block of flats said the organisation is aware of concerns over criminal activity there.

“We thank our customers for raising these issues with us and the local police,” they said. “We’ll continue to work with our partners at Hampshire police in taking the relevant action, and will work closely with [the complainant] to make sure we’re doing all we can to alleviate his concerns.

“We urge customers to keep us informed and to report any criminal behaviour to the police in the first instance.”