On 12 Sep 2013 at 9:57am Concerned wrote:
Hi everyone, I saw a woman on a pushbike riding along the river walk towards Tesco yesterday. She was obviously dealing drugs and from the look of her clients, I would say heroin. I did call the police but nobody arrived so my question is this; What am I able to do if I want to intervene and hold her until the police arrive? Is that a citizens arrest? Thank you in advance for any help or advice.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:01am Russell B wrote:
If there were no addicts there woild be no dealers.
The present criminalisation of dtugs just isn't working.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:10am Grandpa wrote:
That doesn't answer a very reasonable question. Why not ask the police what the position is, and how ready they would be to back you up?
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:32am lewes born and bred wrote:
Did you dial 999 ? thought the police had an obligation to attend.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:36am Clifford wrote:
Concerned, it's frustrating, I know. I'm sure in prohibition America you would have been wondering whether you'd be able to do a citizen's arrest on a well-armed bootlegger like Capone. The problem is the illegality, not the drug.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:40am Concerned wrote:
Hi, I did dial 999 and gave full descriptions etc. The guy said he would pass it on and the police would decide what to do? I waited and walked up and down that path for over an hour but no police arrived.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 11:24am Jim wrote:
There has been a big thread on said dealer, everyone knows about them! Wouldn't fancy wrestling her much myself though, not very heroine chic!
On 12 Sep 2013 at 12:20pm A person wrote:
My worry would be what would happen if you did make a citizen's arrest? If the police don't come, what would you do then? If I were to try doing this I'd only do it in the very secure belief that the police were on their way and would take the offender off my hands smartish, and that's clearly not something you'd be able to rely on.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 12:54pm Border Control wrote:
The Police don't care. They were probably too busy tackling the crowds at Balcombe. Someone is trying to frack there you know !
On 12 Sep 2013 at 12:56pm mytown wrote:
well Concerned well done for doing the right thing by phoning the ploice .
I would now contact the ploice complaints department
On 12 Sep 2013 at 1:31pm Jeremy Clarkson wrote:
Concerned I'm impressed by your powers of observation, if not your powers of arrest. From seeing a woman on a bike you are able to ascertain that they are "obviously" a drug dealer? Also, just by glancing at "her clients" you can deduce specially what drugs she was dealing – heroin?! I suggest Sussex police should hire you immediately - with those super powers you'll rid Lewes of drugs in no time!
On 12 Sep 2013 at 3:38pm Concerned wrote:
Jeremy Clarkson; I actually witnessed the passing of packages for cash from about 5 yards away. I then turned around as she passed me and watched her make a phone call. She then met a blonde haired girl who dashed out of Tesco and the same passing of items took place. I said I thought it was likely to be heroin because the clients were thin, pale and withdrawn looking. I have seen enough of this sort of thing to know what I'm talking about otherwise I would not have dialled 999. I actually agree with your suggestion that police forces should make use of public minded people who have experience in these matters.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 4:29pm John Peel wrote:
Don't do it,concerned,you'll get arrested for assault or something. Individually the police are sympathetic and as concerned as you are but the Sussex Constabulary or whatever they're called are not interested. They are a corporation,a business and their job is revenue collection nothing else.I know you think I'm probably just some malcontent with a grudge or something but check it out,they really are just a business registered at Company House.Border Control is right they're at Balcombe protecting another corporation and.....we're paying them to do it!
On 12 Sep 2013 at 5:34pm Rookie wrote:
Of course this is easy to say now, but I think I would have discreetly taken some photos. Or better still video of the goings on and given it to the rozzers. I expect they know the culprits and you never know, they might use it to good effect. Or they might not.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 6:00pm Intrigued wrote:
Maybe you saw something that you wanted to see?
Wan't it the case that the young girl was just sneaking sweeties without her partner knowing? Your powers to deduce amaze!
Will you post more?
On 12 Sep 2013 at 6:58pm Jeremy Clarkson wrote:
Concerned I've just noticed that you say you spent AN HOUR waiting to see whether the police arrived?? You'll never get that hour back you know. It's gone forever. I suggest you get home to curtain twitching from the comfort of your living room now that the nights are drawing in.
On 12 Sep 2013 at 7:22pm Sam wrote:
This forum never ceases to amaze me, these dirty smack head dealers who have been responsible for many deaths in this town need to go down, why are you slating concerned for trying to protect our kids?
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:10pm Clifford wrote:
Let's get this straight, Concerned. You saw someone you were certain was a drug dealer. You saw her passing what you were certain was heroin to customers. You phoned the police. You waited an hour for them to arrive. Was the dealer there for an hour, selling heroin to all her customers? When you decided to leave as the police didn't seem to be coming, was she still there selling drugs? Five yards away from where you were standing? You know how strange it all sounds, don't you?
On 12 Sep 2013 at 10:15pm Intrigued wrote:
Obviously a 'Dirty Smack Head' skinny and withdrawn looking?
There are far more responsible ways you could look after your kids!
Get real!
Rather than taking everything that you read on a public forum as true.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 12:01am Jeremy Clarkson wrote:
I agree. If you HAD made a citizens arrest what would you charge them with? Being by a river or riding a bike? Got to be one or the other.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 12:17am William Burroughs wrote:
Decriminalize drug addicts and you get rid of the dealers.
When doctors were allowed to prescribe heroin to addicts in the 50s we had a very few addicts.People become addicted to drugs because they have deep psychological issues. Drug addiction is essentiall y self medication.
Dealers are almost always users dealing to fund their habit.All junkies deal a little.Self righteous moralising will get us absolutely nowhere on this issue.
Junkies have an illness. They need to be treated as people who are sick not as criminals.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 1:48am De Quincey wrote:
Hear Hear! William Burroughs!
Don't you think that it is the Government that benefits financially from keeping so called 'Drugs' illegal? What about Tea, Coffee, Tobacco etc etc Should we make pariah's out of the people that use them also?
I'd love a bit of Opium to self prescribe, but I would run the risk of being ostracised from the law abiding community. I think it's wrong to pass moral judgment on people without knowing the true facts.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 3:35am Voice of Reason wrote:
Heroin's biggest danger is its illegality. It's the impurities that come with unclinical production environment that kills people, along with infected shared needles. Most doctors agree that a heroin overdose is far less dangerous proposition than a paracetamol overdose.
Maybe just sticking around a few more years will see the government come round to the same view it had in Victoria's era - when they went to war with China for the right to sell British heroine to coolies.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 9:04am Belladonna wrote:
Give the guy a break - he only asked if he could or should make a citizens arrest, he's not responsible for government drug policy and his moral outlook is his own.
For the record, concerned, I think it would be ill advised to make a 'citizens arrest', it could put you in danger. You did your best by calling the police, they didn't see fit to respond. When you make your complaint to the commissioner would you ask what the police approach is to drug use in Lewes? It seems fairly laissez faire. A friend saw drugs being dealt through the gates of Priory School a few years back and police did nothing.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 9:39am De Quincey wrote:
So are all 'Skinny, Pale and Withdrawn' looking people fair game to be labeled dirty 'Smack Heads' and liable to 'Citizens Arrest'?
On 13 Sep 2013 at 12:27pm Rods Tiger wrote:
C'mon guys, we all know that the woman on a bike who hangs out round Tescos is a dealer, there's even been a long thread on this forum about her. The police clearly know about her too. Why are you giving Concerned a hard time about behaving like a proper citizen ?
Do the rest of you just ignore any criminal activity that you see ? If so, that doesn't bode well for Lewes in 5 or so years.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 1:09pm Sam wrote:
Exactly x
On 13 Sep 2013 at 1:33pm Concerned wrote:
Thank you to everyone who gave me a sensible reply and the benefit of your wisdom. The consensus of opinion seems to suggest leaving it to the police but I really am concerned that the police seem to allow this blatant drug dealing to continue. I appreciate they may have more important calls to make but that's no comfort to the loved ones of the addicts killed by this horrid drug.
To those posters looking for a childish argument, I refuse to lower myself to your level.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 5:50pm Dave wrote:
I bet we see a couple of high vis bobbies along the river path in the next few days.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 6:26pm sue wrote:
Why not just go down Timberyard Lane and knock on the door.
Wouldn't want to mess with them and their dog though had a horrible run in with him once, nasty, abusive man.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 6:33pm tim paine wrote:
I doubt whether the East Sussex chief of police would be so sanguine if one of his loved one's was using drugs - heroin or not - supplied by a dealer with seemingly no embarrassment or sense of shame. Maybe the original poster should write him a courteous letter.
Then again, what should be a pleasurable thing - walking along the river in Lewes - often depresses the hell out of me... Reaching Pells Pond today, I saw a charming group of 4 people - one of whom had collected an arsenal of apples to chuck (very hard) at all the ducks both in and out of the water.
I returned home feeling even more miserable because I didn't have the guts to ask him to stop it. Sometimes, people just ruin things...
On 13 Sep 2013 at 6:56pm Clifford wrote:
So the end result of this thread is that Concerned thought he saw a drug dealer, called the police, they didn't turn up, so he hung around for an hour, then left. In between we've had a display of the ignorance that thinks you can ban some drugs, make other drugs legal, and nobody will ask why some are legal and some aren't, why the tobacco companies (whose products kill hundreds of thousands) are respectable businessmen, while the 'drug' dealers (whose products do not even kill tens, and then only in accidents) are vile specimens.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 7:21pm bastian wrote:
it's funny you should start this thread as I noticed a well known smack dealer sitting on the bench by the underpass to tesco the same day, with an amaciated scag head...could be a connection.
On 13 Sep 2013 at 10:04pm suggestion wrote:
Just tell the Police you've shot her - that should get a response!
On 14 Sep 2013 at 12:26am De Quincey wrote:
This thread just goes to show how disgusting and rude some people can be.
With their childish name calling. If you have a problem with this Girl and her associates then confront them. Your bigoted views are less than boring!
On 14 Sep 2013 at 3:26am Fairmeadow wrote:
Didn't we elect a police commissioner some time ago to hold the Sussex police to account?
Perhaps Concerned could contact her to ask her views.
Or did I imagine all that?
On 14 Sep 2013 at 11:52am Rods Tiger wrote:
Clifford - Your previous posts on this forum indicate that you are an intelligent person so I can only assume that you are deliberately missing the point here. Are you seriously suggesting that a witness to a crime should not report it ? I have just re-read the original post and cannot see any judgement about drugs or the use of them.