BUILDING community links to drive drug dealers from Rose Hill and Littlemore will reduce other crimes and prevent vulnerable people being exploited, the neighbourhood’s police team has said.

Recent drugs raids at properties in two streets on the estates have seen a reduction in other crimes such as anti-social behaviour as part of a new approach.

Rather than just busting a door down, seizing drugs and making arrests, the South East Oxford neighbourhood police team have been working to help vulnerable people being exploited by Class A drug dealers who take over their homes to peddle their class A substances.

The process, called ‘cuckooing’ is a growing issue across the city’s neighbourhoods and has resulted in a rise of other crimes.

Sergeant Stephen Why told the Oxford Mail recent warrants executed Priory Road, Littlemore and Oxford Road, Rose Hill, had resulted in a reduction in call outs because of work being carried out by officers and other agencies to help those whose homes had become drug dens.

Sgt Why, of the South East Oxford neighbourhood police team said closure orders - which only allow certain people into a home - were a way of preventing drug dealers returning.

But the neighbourhood officer urged members of the community to continue to supply information in order to build ‘resilience’ against the problem.

He said: “My main message to the community is give us information and we will act on it. They [residents] are starting to understand that. We want the community to be involved.”

Sgt Why said despite the raids not resulting in huge amounts of drug seizures, a lot of work had been done to help victims.

He added: “What we managed to do on the back of that was work with the anti-social behaviour team and get a partial closure order that address. So success can be measured in different ways.”

Prior to the action carried out by the new-look neighbourhood team, which came together on June 1, there were reports of the problem getting so bad that needles and other drug paraphernalia littered the streets.

The new approach is being carried out by all teams after Thames Valley Police and Oxford City Council launched its crackdown on organised criminals.

Oxford city neighbourhood inspector Chris Simpson said protecting most vulnerable people and bringing down organised crime gangs is a top priority for officers.

Sgt Why added the team were looking to keep up momentum and said: “We are not going away.”