SHOP A PUSHER: DRUGS officers say they have scored a major victory in the battle against drugs following the arrest of a man suspected of being the main dealer in Malmesbury.

A team of seven officers forced entry into a flat in the High Street at around 6pm on Thursday, where they apprehended a 49-year-old local man and recovered £800 of cannabis resin.

PC Bob Prior of the Wootton Bassett-based Drugs Intelligence Unit, said the man, realising the game was up, directed the officers to drugs in several locations in the flat.

He was then arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs and was taken to Melksham Police Station, where he has been bailed pending the results of forensic testing on the drugs, until January 12.

PC Prior confirmed that the raid was the result of several months of intelligence gathering and information from the public.

"The man was alone in the flat, but while the officers were there, another man arrived to actually buy drugs from him," said PC Prior.

"That individual confirmed that the suspect is the main supplier of cannabis to the youth of Malmesbury. This was a major breakthrough in the fight against drugs in the area."

Early last week, £26,000 of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine was seized at an address in Purton, near Swindon. Four people were arrested, pending further police investigation.

"We will be executing several other warrants in the coming months, also resulting from information and intelligence gathered with the public's help," said PC Prior.

He encouraged more people to play a part in the fight against drugs by contacting the Gazette and Wiltshire Constabulary's Shop A Pusher hotline.

"We would urge anyone with information, large or small to contact this confidential line," he said.

"This information is often invaluable in that it can provide an important piece in a much bigger picture.

"With the public's help, we can get these drug pushers off the streets."

The Gazette's Shop A Pusher scheme started out as a week-long initiative, two years ago, but due to the flood of calls it attracted, it was extended and has led to a number of successful prosecutions.

Working in partnership with the Wiltshire Constabulary, the confidential hotline number provides members of the public with the chance to help fight crime, while remaining anonymous.

Anything suspicious seen in people's neighbourhoods, strange comings and goings, at strange times, can be a sign of drug activity and confidential information, no matter how slight, can be what the police need to put pushers behind bars.

Liaising directly with the Divisional Intelligence Unit, based at Melksham Police HQ, and the division's pro-active crime fighting team, DS Alan Strike, from the Divisional Intelligence Unit, collates the information gathered and said it is an invaluable tool in the fight against drugs.

"Shop A Pusher has already generated a lot of information and resulted in some successful prosecutions," said DS Strike.

"Wiltshire Constabulary's pro-active team use this intelligence to apprehend and prosecute offenders. So a means for the public to feed in their own intelligence, is of great importance.

"Drugs are a problem in Wiltshire and we are particularly worried about how easy it is becoming to get hold of drugs such as cocaine and crack.

"These are highly addictive drugs and soon after becoming hooked on them, many people turn to other crime to fund their habit."

DS Chris Martin, who is part of the pro-active crime team, investigating drug offences agreed. "Drugs are a problem and without the help of the public, a lot of valuable information would be lost and the effectiveness of our investigations would be hampered," he said.

"That's why we would urge anyone with information about drugs to contact the Shop A Pusher hotline.

"The more information we get, the more we have to work on, so we want to know who? what? where? and when? basically all the information that person has, which helps us to prove someone is pushing drugs."

To contact the confidential Shop A Pusher hotline, dial (01249) 449784.

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