Large amount of drugs found at Eastbourne property leads to an arrest

Sussex Police said 300-400 wraps of suspected Class A drugs were seized from a property in Ratton Road on January 11.

PCSO Jake Greathead and PCSO Julian Williams visited the address after residents had made concerns about drug dealing in the area, the force said.

During their visit, they also suspected a vulnerable adult resident was possibly being cuckooed at the address by county lines drug dealers.

Cuckooing is the taking over the home of a vulnerable person to deal drugs. Organised crime groups tend to use a local property, generally belonging to a vulnerable person, as a base for their activities.

A police spokesman said: “The PCSOs called upon the immediate support of their Prevention Enforcement Team officers, who entered the property.

“At the address, 300-400 wraps of suspected Class A drugs were found and seized, and a 21-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. He was released under investigation.”

Inspector Rachel Barrow said: “PCSOs are an important part of the police network, working with communities and helping to bring a greater understanding of local issues.

“This arrest is a great example of how PCSOs can be effective in achieving police aims, and comes directly off the back of a meeting with residents where we listened and acted on their concerns.

“In this case, the intelligence we received directly from the public has helped take a large quantity of dangerous drugs off the streets.”

Jake, an apprentice PCSO who joined the Eastbourne Prevention team in October 2019, is one of the 100 new PCSOs Sussex Police is on track to recruit by the end of March, thanks to the 2019 council tax precept increase.

He is training on-the-job alongside his tutor, PCSO Williams, who is a long-serving Eastbourne officer.

PCSO Greathead said: “I’m really enjoying the role.

“It’s great to have contributed to the drugs seizure. We didn’t expect it to happen but with the information the community gave us, we did more digging and asked more questions, providing the intelligence our Prevention Enforcement Team colleagues needed to enter the property.

“It’s good to have been part of that team work – it makes the job so worthwhile.”