PSNI focus on drugs and RAAD

The PSNI Area Commander presented his nine-month report on policing at a meeting of the Londonderry DPP in Eglinton on Monday evening.

In his commentary on the report Inspector Yates describes 2009 as an "extremely challenging" time with the economic downturn being blamed for rising crime rates in a number of key areas.

But in his assessment of the figures Inspector Yates was optimistic stating: "I am very pleased to say that through a lot of hard work we have recovered a lot of the ground we previously lost and the figures are going in the right direction as we head towards the end of the financial year."

Inevitably drug dealing and the spate of vigilantism by the self-styled Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) were highlighted as issues of key concern that Inspector Yates insisted were being addressed.

"There are however a number of issues of concern," said Inspector Yates. "One major issue for me at the current time are the activities of RAAD, who have targeted and shot 11 people over the last nine months.

"We have spent a lot of time and effort trying to disrupt RAAD's activities and our colleagues from a number of investigative departments have turned their detective gaze firmly onto RAAD."

He said tackling drug dealing remains a top priority and last year police witnessed "a dramatic increase in the amount of information coming into us on drug dealing and drug dealers in our communities" and that his force had turned this into "drug seizures...arrests and the prosecution of drug dealers."

"It is important to community safety and it is important in our efforts to marginalise RAAD that this information on drug dealers continues to come into us from the community.

"Drug dealing is an issue that unites communities and the police in Foyle have demonstrated that they can be trusted to effectively and lawfully with drug dealers," said Inspector Yates.