28% hike in Derry drug busts during COVID period

Over the period July 2020 to June 2021 there were 892 drug seizure incidents in Derry/Strabane. This was a 195 increase from 697 in the year July 2019 to June 2020.

Officially, drug seizures are all incidents where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) is seized, recovered or found by police.

This includes drugs intercepted in the post and drugs handed in to the police.

There was also a nine per cent increase in drug related arrests locally.

Between July 2020 and June 2021 there were 475 drug related arrests - an increase of 39 from 436 in the year July 2019 and June 2020.

Drug-related arrests are when a person is arrested and processed through custody for one or more suspected drug-related offences.

Meanwhile, the police have also confirmed that there was a 5.7 per cent increase in recorded crime in Derry and Strabane in the twelve months to August 2021 compared with the previous 12 months.

This was the second highest increase in the north after Ards and North Down (6.4 per cent). Over the year there were 10,347 recorded crimes in the Derry/Strabane district - 562 more than the 9,785 crimes recorded in the year September 2019 to August 2020.

On a positive note Derry/Strabane was the only area where anti-social behaviour declined. The number of ASB incidents recorded by the police in Derry/Strabane in the 12 months to August 31, 2021 declined by 3.4 per cent compared with the previous 12 months.

There were 5,488 ASB incidents recorded over the year.

This was down 191 from the 5,679 incidents reported from September 2019 to August 2020.