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A major Police Scotland operation to tackle the scourge of drugs has seen narcotics worth £1.2m seized in a series of raids.

The Evening News joined a special unit of detectives and uniformed officers as they targeted dealers and users in some of the Capital’s most drug-blighted estates, netting a haul of Class A substances and detaining suspected dealers.

The dramatic action, which culminated in a series of swoops on suspects this week, was staged as Operation Threshold and followed months of intelligence-gathering and planning.

Public order police officers break down a door

The operation involved hundreds of officers and led to a huge haul of drugs and more than a quarter of a million pounds in cash being seized and 95 suspects arrested.

The New Drugs Approach

For more than six months, a dedicated Police Scotland unit have been taking an altogether different approach to tackling drugs blighting Capital lives.

Officers have been working with reformed addicts on Operation Threshold – a partnership to disrupt the supply while directing vulnerable people to support.

Police Scotland officers carry out Operation Threshold around various locations in Edinburgh.

While predatory dealers can expect a knock on the door and the full weight of the law, the move is as much about changing the psyche of officers when dealing with drug related incidents.

Detective Superintendent Martin Maclean, the leading officer on Operation Threshold, said: “In Scotland in 2017, two to three people died each day due to drugs. Almost half the people who died were men aged 35 to 54, with Edinburgh seeing the second highest number of drug-related deaths in Scotland.

“Removing illegal drugs from across Edinburgh and Scotland, and targeting criminals who seek to profit from causing others harm, continues to be a top priority for us and for our communities.

“Criminals involved in supply make money out of addiction and vulnerability. They risk people’s lives for financial gain and, often, use this to fund other forms of serious and organised crime.”

Operation Threshold targeted known drug dealers around the capital with numerous arrests being made during the three day operation.

He added: “The whole idea is to embed in the psyche of our officers that their job is not over after going to a scene. How do we help these people with regards to referrals and how can we stop this from happening again.”

The results speak for themselves. Police in Edinburgh have arrested 25 people and referred 31 to support services during three days of action to tackle drug crime and drug-related harm this week as part of Operation Threshold.

The Evening News joined officers on a raid this week in Dumbiedykes.

For over six months, extensive planning and intensive intelligence-gathering has been ongoing as part of Police Scotland’s new holistic approach to tackling drug related deaths in Scotland.

Enforcement has been used wherever necessary, and has been taking place throughout the six month operation, with a total of 95 people, aged 16-58, now arrested on suspicion of drugs supply.

Over £1.2 million worth of drugs have been recovered and over £270,000 in cash during the six month operation.

Figures show that in 2017 there were 934 drug related deaths across Scotland – the highest since records began in 1996 – with Edinburgh recording 84 drug related deaths in 2017.

The operation was assisted from the offset by the City Council, social services, other emergency service providers and third sector agencies, most notably Aid & Abet – a charity that is made up of volunteers who have escaped a life of crime and drug abuse.

Aid & Abet co-founder Kevin Neary has been at the forefront of collaboration between officers and reformed addicts to tackle overdose deaths in what has been dubbed a “cops and cons” approach.

Aid & Abet supports people involved in the criminal justice system in Edinburgh and the Lothians, with a focus on those who have been in custody.

Det Supt Martin Maclean of Police Scotland

The initiative is led by people who have, themselves, been in prison, mostly as a result of addiction problems. Those behind the project believe this experience is what gives Aid & Abet its strength.

Their vision is simple: “Once someone has been in prison, they need never go back.”

They aid people, and abet them in their determination to make good on their to avoid the routes their past has taken them in.

Now, in Police Scotland’s new approach to tackling drug crime, the charity has found a firm ally.

The multi-faceted approach from Police Scotland is holistic in nature and aims to make officers more involved in the communities they serve by actively pursuing referrals for assistance to those they come in contact with.

Operation Threshold has been able to draw from the amazing work that has been carried out by Violent Offenders Watch (VOW) in the city since 2013.

VOW looks to identify prolific offenders and offer them a second chance at life.

The way they do this is by working with various partners in the city such as the council and third sector agencies like ‘Action for Children’ and Aid and Abet.

They then try to provide training and work experience before hopefully getting offenders into a job.

Initially the pick up rate for the scheme was rather tentative, with only 33 per cent of offenders approached becoming involved.

PC Graeme Buchan from the VOW project said that the problem with the scheme in its early stages was that offenders did not want to work with the police.

He added that there is a stigma attached to working with officers as some might feel that they may have to inform on friends.

In 2016 things began to change- mentors from Aid & Abet joined the programme and the pick up rate went up to around 60 per cent for offenders that were approached.

PC Buchan, on overcoming the stigma, said: “We tend to be out everyday and we don’t use marked vehicles or officers in uniform.

“We use a cops and cons approach, where we have people with lived experiences working with the police.

“Offenders tend to respond better to this approachable method. We will always go the extra mile with these offenders.

“It is all about helping them get assistance, if someone needs help with getting to job interviews we will do that or if it is rearranging court hearings then it is done. The aim was to reduce offending and save lives...of the 150 offenders that have signed up, the police have reduced re-offending by up to 80 percent.”

Graeme Mollon, mental health and substance misuse locality manager for the Edinburgh health and social care partnership, was speaking on behalf of the Edinburgh drug and alcohol partnership, when he said: “When a family member uses drugs, it affects the whole family. Projects like Operation Threshold involve agencies from across the city working together to do all we can to pool resources and prevent drug and alcohol related deaths.

“Working in partnership with Police Scotland and others ensured a whole system approach was taken, and any vulnerable people involved as part of the enforcement were taken into consideration and provided with support. The Operation builds on the close work the Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Partnership carries out with colleagues from across the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council’s community safety team.

“Together, we are working towards improving access to specialist treatment, education and support to help people get out of the cycle of drug misuse and where possible, prevent people from getting involved in drug crime.

“The results released today speak for themselves.”

To get help or advice, please visit Edinburgh Alcohol & Drug Partnership at www.edinburghadp.co.uk

Anyone with information or concerns about drug crime can contact Police Scotland via 101, or report this anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Edinburgh police seize £1.2m worth of drugs over 6 months as 95 suspects arrested