By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
A councillor is calling for more action to be taken to understand if there is a link between an upsurge in violence and cocaine use across Nottingham.
Cllr Michael Edwards (Lab), who represents The Meadows ward, said there had been a number of incidents across the city on Nottingham Forest match days.
He said one security guard at a pub had told him “lots of Vaseline” needs to be applied to the level surfaces in the toilets to ensure people don’t use the drug.
At a Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday, March 28, he asked if there was was a link between the violence being reported and cocaine use.
He told the panel: “Witnessing some of the events post Forest games recently and witnessing the events after the World Championship boxing fights, and just walking my dog around the pubs late at night, is there something going on with the growing use of cocaine in the country and in the city?
“Is there an efficient focus among our partners about doing something about that?
“I have been told by one security guard at a pub who said you need to apply lots of Vaseline to the level surfaces of toilets so they can’t snort lines of cocaine.
“Is this an issue, on its way up, and we need to nip it in the bud? Is the growing use of cocaine feeding a new wave of violence?”
Cllr Edwards addressed the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Violence Reduction Unit, which brings together local partners to tackle and prevent serious violence across Nottinghamshire.
A representative from the Commissioner’s Office said: “Is the upsurge in violence linked to use of cocaine? We want to be absolutely honest – we don’t know at the present time.”
Natlie Baker Swift, interim head of the Violence Reduction Unit, said this area would fall within the scope of the unit but added: “It is not something we have looked at so we are unable to answer this question at this time.”
Cllr Edwards responded: “Someone, somewhere, ought to have a better picture on this.”
Other councillors also asked if ‘there was more cocaine use in Nottingham’ and where was the drug being found.
Caroline Henry, Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “If we said where all the high uses of cocaine is, is that not where all the drug dealers will go to?”
