Concern over drug users 'openly smoking crack'

Drug users are "openly smoking crack" in a west London suburb after a drug recovery service was relocated to the area, a resident has said.

Herpreet Nirwal said Southall had witnessed a fourfold increase in people who appeared to be openly using drugs since Ealing Council moved its Recovery Intervention Service Ealing - known as RISE - to the area from West Ealing in February 2024.

The council denied the relocation was behind the observed rise in open drug taking, and urged people not to make a "false link" between it and the centre's relocation.

It added that it was working closely with the Met Police to increase patrols and target known hotspots.

It said RISE, which began operating in Southall 13 years ago, provided vital community services including offering assessment and short-term treatment to help people break the cycle of addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Speaking at a full council meeting earlier this week, Nirwal challenged councillors as to why the service had been relocated to the area without consultation from residents and "in the face of escalating drug, aggressive begging and intimidation in the affected areas".

In response, councillor Paul Driscoll, Ealing's cabinet member for Healthy Equal Lives, said the uptick in drug use was due to a range of different factors and that the service was not new and operated across three locations in the area.

He added the Metropolitan Police had already deployed a tactical support group to the area to tackle the rise and that the council had a legal duty to provide adequate drug and alcohol treatment services.

Speaking after the meeting, Nirwal told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he believed Driscoll's response was "waffle".

He said: "There are people, they will sit on our road and they will openly smoke a crack pipe or they'll openly build their drugs, you know, make them, prepare them, get them ready, all that paraphernalia and it's just, it's annoying.

"My mum sort of is hesitant now to go for a walk in the morning because she says they're all in the park and you know they're all very, very, rough looking, very, very intimidating," he added.

Nirwal says he believes local drug dealers had spotted the facility and were using it as a "base" to find customers among the centre's users.

In response, a council spokesperson said they understood why residents and businesses were concerned, "particularly about reports of open drug use and intimidation, and we take this seriously".

They added: "This behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we're working closely with police to increase patrols, target known hotspots close to South Road and St Joseph's Drive, and take action against those involved in crime, including drug dealing.

"There is no evidence that the current issues are being caused by the relocation of Ealing RISE. What we are seeing reflects a more complex picture, including displacement from enforcement activity elsewhere and existing pressures in the area."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk