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Town's addicts struggling to get drugs, police say

North Wales Police Three silhouetted police officers approach the white back door of a house in Rhyl under cover of darknessNorth Wales Police
Police have arrested 180 people, and carried out 35 raids including this one last June

Drug addicts in one of Wales' most deprived areas are telling police they are struggling to buy illegal substances after an initiative to cut crime, a force has said.

Project Renew has been running in the western half of the centre of Rhyl, Denbighshire, since April, and North Wales Police said crime was down 14%.

It said it had dismantled several gangs and made it harder for addicts to get hold of drugs.

Business owners in the town gave a cautious welcome to the initiative but said more work was needed to bring down crime.

Aerial shot of the west end of Rhyl, with the beach on the left and streets of houses stretching across the shot. Hills in the far distance.
Rhyl West is a relatively small area, but police say it has suffered from a high crime rate in recent years

Over the past eight months, police have carried out 35 raids and made 180 arrests in Rhyl West, a small area of the resort between the high street, seafront and well-known blue bridge over the River Clwyd.

It regularly features on lists of Wales' most deprived areas, and police said its high crime rate unfairly gives the town a bad name.

The project has put more officers on the beat and arranged coffee mornings so people can have their say on what needs to be done in the area.

Ch Insp Dave Cust said: "Addicts have been coming up to us on the streets and telling us they're struggling to get drugs because we've been able to start turning off some of the supply taps.

"But this feels very different to previous high visibility operations that we've done in Rhyl West.

"Many drug users want to finish with drugs and it's an important part of this project that we're also supporting them and putting them in touch with the right people to get them off the drugs."

Two officers - a Police Community Support officer on the left in black uniform with blue detailing - and Chief Superintendent Owain Llewellyn on the right in a black uniform with white detailing. Both are on the beat in Water Street in Rhyl town centre.
Ch Supt Owain Llewellyn (right) and his colleagues have been spending more time out on the beat in Rhyl

Police said the project was different to others because officers were working with Denbighshire council, the health board and businesses in Rhyl.

That meant addicts whose homes get taken over by drug dealers, a practice known as cuckooing, have been given more help to move away from the town.

Ch Supt Owain Llewellyn said: "It's a change of approach, recognising that some addicts, and even some of the low-level dealers are vulnerable people.

"But if we don't do it, we'll still be dealing with the same issues in this community next year, and in five or 10 years' time.

"I'm under no illusions - we need to continue that pressure, and we need to continue to target those who cause real harm to the community."

Mark Speakman wearing a grey hat in his record shop and leaning on one of the many racks of 12 inch vinyls.
Mark Speakman runs a record shop in Rhyl and says police still have more work to do in the town

Businesses in Rhyl have given a cautious welcome to the initiative, though many people said the police still need to do more to bring down crime in the town.

Mark Speakman, from Funky Feet Records, said: "I don't see any difference, because I don't see the police – not as often as I should do anyway.

"The police still need to be more visible, and be seen to be dealing with crime.

"One small example - you see people bombing up and down this street on e-scooters, which is illegal, but the police don't seem to do anything about them."

Vicky Welsman runs the family support charity Blossom and Bloom, and commented: "Police need to keep up the pressure on drug-related crime.

"But I feel safe coming to work, and I feel safe living in Rhyl.

"Local families get really upset when Rhyl gets tarred with a bad brush, because it isn't a bad place, we've got a really a strong community – everyone needs to keep working together to build on that."