Top Shropshire police officer backs drug decriminalisation debate
A police chief in Shropshire today called for a national debate on the decriminalisation of Class A drugs in the wake of one of the UK's most senior police officers sparking controversy over the issue.
Simon Chesterman, West Mercia Police's deputy chief constable, has come out in support of aspects of Durham Police's chief constable Mike Barton's comments which argued drugs such as cocaine and heroin should be decriminalised.
Mr Chesterman, who has specialised in the drugs squad in his career, said he did not support legalising drugs but a debate on the possibility of decriminalising certain drugs was crucial.
Speaking to the Shropshire Star, Mr Chesterman, who is the armed policing lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), said drug dealers deserved "harsh sentences" because of the "devastating effect" Class A drugs have on people's lives. sIn a tweet broadcast to his 1,700 followers, Mr Chesterman said: "As an ex-Drug Squad DS I believe CC Mike Barton @DurhamPolice has a point."
He added today: "I have worked at the sharp end of drugs enforcement and have seen the devastating effect that Class A drugs have on people's lives.
"Drug dealers deserve harsh sentences and care little for the people they sell drugs to. I have seen heroin cut with brick dust and even rat poison to bulk it up and make it go further and increase profits.
"To be absolutely clear I do not agree with legalisation of drugs, but believe that the debate on decriminalisation needs to be had as this is largely a public health issue and ways of making drugs less profitable to criminals should be explored."
Mr Barton said outright prohibition handed revenue streams to criminals and added that creating "controlled environments" would be a more successful way of winning the war on drugs.
"If an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or something similar, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs," he said.
