BRAZEN drug use and dealing on the streets of Oxford have prompted a multi-agency crackdown on offences in the city.

The police, councils and charities have come together to stamp out drug-related crime amid startling reports of users injecting heroin in the city centre in broad daylight.

Since mid-February police have made more than 20 arrests in the city centre and surrounding areas for drug dealing - at an average of four per week.

Traders in the city said some streets are so badly affected it frightens members of the public out of using their businesses.

Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council lead on community safety, said cuts to police and council services have helped a culture of open drug use and dealing blossom.

He said: “More people are publicly taking drugs. More drug deals are taking place publicly in more parts of Oxford.

“It has gone too far. Local authorities have been cut to the bone and it is a struggle for us to find money in the budget to invest in this issue.

"But the feeling is that it’s too important not to be the best possible partner to police, who are working flat out to protect the vulnerable.”

Many business owners paint a disturbing picture of inner city life – with many saying the issue has directly impeded business.

Amanda Suliman Bell, manager of Rainbow and Spoon Boutique in Frideswide Square, said: “It has a great effect on the business. It’s really worrying for people walking by when [drug users] are rolling round… it is off-putting.”

“They make this road look scary. People aren’t crossing the road, because they see people and they’re scared so they’re not coming in.

“I’ve found drugs on the road myself.”

Meshel Alkersh of Station Barbers, also in Frideswide Square, echoed the same concerns.

The 35-year-old said: “We have had the new square and roadworks for weeks and now we have people using drugs on the road outside.”

“It’s had an effect – my shop is empty. People are scared to cross the road.

“I know that the neighbours are really concerned too.”

The city council, which last year collected more than 5,000 discarded needles in the city, will fund two PCSO roles to help bolster the police force and provide a deterrent to drug dealers and users.

Meanwhile, Thames Valley Police continues to arrest dealers as part of its long-running Stronghold campaign.

Oxford city police commander superintendent Joe Kidman said: “We fully recognise the impact that drugs can have on communities.

"This is the cruel face of organised crime bringing violence, crime and exploitation onto our streets. While the issues are complex and extend beyond our city, our partners have made a firm and positive commitment to work together and do all we can to tackle this menace and keep people in our city safe.

"The breadth and depth of this challenge is serious but we have already seen a positive impact on the drugs market through our action together.”

The Oxford Safer Communities Partnership, which includes Thames Valley Police, local authorities, health and voluntary organisations, has allocated additional funding and resources to tackle drug hotspots.

It works together to share information, bring offenders to justice, safeguard children and vulnerable adults who are being exploited by offenders and work with communities to help keep areas safe.

The apparent rise in public drug use is linked to the changing nature of dealing.

County lines, named as a priority by police in Oxford earlier this year, refers to a technique adopted by gangs in areas like London and Birmingham in which they expand their drug market into other counties, often exploiting children and vulnerable people in the process.

Tackling the complex process can involve safeguarding children and is dealt with jointly by police, along with the city council and Oxfordshire County Council.

Police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, talked about the problems that county lines dealing creates for the force.

He said: “We have a problem and I don’t think it’s unique to the Thames Valley – rather, it happens all over the country.

“Drug gangs based in major cities like London and Birmingham and so forth will bring drugs into the county.

"You clear up one gang at a local level and another one appears from the same city.

“It’s an ongoing problem and we are not going to make it go away until the supply of drugs coming into the country is stopped.”

Despite the apparent rise in public drug use and dealing, drug use is actually understood to be on the decline.

Andy Symons, senior operations manager at addiction charity Turning Point, said he had received reports about a rise in public usage – but said that nationally the number of drug users was declining.

He added: “It is concerning when there is public drug use.

“We’ve had experiences in which users come to us and say it’s difficult to score and so want to talk more about treatment and making real life changes.

“We don’t want to see open drug markets and so we’re really supportive of the partnership approach.”

In 2016 Oxford City Council received 633 reports of discarded needles. In 2017 the number rose to 914 and a total of 5,516 'sharps' were collected.

The Office for National Statistics found there were 27 deaths related to drugs misuse in Oxford between 2014 and 2016.

This equates to 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people, above the Oxfordshire rate of 2.7 and the average across England of 4.2.