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The British Journal of Criminology 41:738-745 (2001)
© 2001 Centre for Crime & Justice Studies (formerly ISTD)

Assessment of a Concentrated, High-Profile Police Operation. No Discernible Impact on Drug Availability, Price or Purity

David Best, John Strang, Tracy Beswick and Michael Gossop

National Addiction Centre/Institute of Psychiatry, 4 Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF.

Two weeks after the start of a major police initiative targeting drug dealing in London (described by the Metropolitan Police as a ‘spectacular success’), 174 street drug users were interviewed about drug price, availability and purity. Only seven users reported price increases for any drug, with the majority stating that there had been no change in any market features. This basic pattern was not influenced by whether the users were aware of the operation, whether they lived in the areas directly affected or by the number of different dealers that they used to purchase their drugs. Paradoxically, any perceived changes were more likely to be ‘improvements’ in the market than deterioration (i.e. lower price, greater availability and higher levels of purity). There is limited evidence from the current study to support the assertion that targeted policing will impact on the accessibility, price or quality of heroin, cannabis or crack cocaine.


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