The closure of Portlethen Police Station could open the door for county lines drug dealing across the north-east, warns a local MSP.
The station is due to close soon after senior officers at Police Scotland decided back in 2021 it “no longer meets operational requirements”.
Liam Kerr, Conservative MSP for the North East, has now asked Justice Secretary Keith Brown to step in and save the station, warning it could give drug dealers easy access to the streets of Aberdeen.
It comes after 233 people died in connection with taking street benzos in the Grampian area since 2019.
A further 1,218 people were also hospitalised during this period after taking street benzos.
Call for government to intervene
Speaking at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Kerr said closing the station down contradicts the Scottish Government’s own policing strategy and sends the “wrong message” to organised crime groups.
Mr Kerr said: “It leaves one of the north-east’s largest and fastest-growing towns without a police station.
“Fears have been raised such a reduced police presence will have an impact on county lines drug dealing and risks throwing open the doors to Aberdeen and coastal communities.”
However the justice secretary said he will not step in as he “respects the operational independence” of Police Scotland’s chief constable.
Mr Brown instead said it is important to note police officers in Scotland are paid more than those in England and Wales, and attacked the UK Government’s austerity measures.
He added: “Policing is and will continue to be, a priority for the Scottish Government.
“I am confident we are attaching the priority to policing to deal with crime in Scotland.”
Rise in street benzos across north-east
Fraser Hoggan, chief executive of Alcohol and Drugs Action, warned street benzos are fuelling a worrying rise in drug use across the region.
He said they can be bought for pennies and are equally as destructive as drugs like heroin and cocaine.
Mr Kerr said: “During the pandemic period, there were an estimated 180 deaths across NHS Grampian connected to benzodiazepines, which are one of the biggest illegal rackets for these criminals.
“And in the middle of a drug deaths crisis, the SNP’s main response has been to unlock the gates and let it happen.
“There should be more local bases for our officers, and less centralisation, because organised criminals can easily suss out where cars and officers start their day.”
Conversation