Police in Dundee have promised 24-hour patrols to tackle the city’s £2.6million-a-year heroin problem.
Officers last night began high-visibility patrols in problem areas, including the Hilltown and Stobswell.
More than four uniformed officers will patrol the city at all times in an operation to tackle drug dealing and associated violent and serious crime.
Tayside Police said the high-profile officers were part of the second phase of Operation Waterloo, which saw several drugs raids in Dundee earlier this month.
Twenty people were arrested during the raids on July 3 and 4. Heroin and a four-figure cash sum were seized.
The operation to tackle on-street heroin dealing follows months of intelligence gathering in response to 19 drug-related deaths in Dundee so far this year.
The patrols are intended to prevent and detect crime, reassure local residents and send a clear no-tolerance message to drug dealers and other criminals. Research suggests that about £2.6million a year is spent on heroin in Dundee, with many addicts financing their habit though acquisitive crime, the black-market economy and prostitution.
Chief Superintendent Colin McCashey, Dundee divisional commander of Tayside Police, said: “We will be continuing to use the intelligence gathered in recent weeks to target all criminal activity, notably those surrounding drug dealing and drug-related behaviour and repeat offenders in particular.
“Our uniformed officers will be out on the streets in numbers to provide a highly visible presence, and I hope that residents take the opportunity to speak with them and raise any issues or concerns they have.”
He added: “Operation Waterloo is in place for the long-term benefit of the community. It is about upholding the rights of law-abiding people to live in relative peace and quiet and making it absolutely clear to those who choose a life of criminality or antisocial behaviour their actions will not be tolerated.”
A mobile CCTV van will be deployed to support patrols and help identify any ongoing incidents and issues.
Police also pledged to pursue closure orders banning residents who persist in anti-social and criminal behaviour from their homes.
Dundee City Council leader Kevin Keenan yesterday welcomed the increased patrols.
He said: “The issue of community safety is an important one for the people of Dundee and the council is dedicated to working in partnership with a wide variety of organisations to help residents to feel safe in their homes and on the streets.
“In recent years, crime in Dundee has been dropping, thanks in no small part to the grass-roots initiatives that the council and its partners, including Tayside Police, have been involved in.
“I welcome Operation Waterloo and the strong message it sends to people whose behaviour is not acceptable in our communities.”