Police shut down Hemel property linked to suspected drug activity and bar occupants

A Hemel Hempstead property linked to suspected drug activity has been closed and its occupants barred from entering by the police and its partners.

Dacorum police’s Community Safety Unit took action following a search at the property, in Iveagh Court, Alexandra Road.

Officers found a large amount of class B drugs as well as a smaller amount of what is suspected to be class A drugs along with other drug related paraphernalia. Also located was a large amount of cash and various items of designer clothing.

As a result, a three-month Closure Order was granted at St Albans Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Thursday 13 April.

Prior to the order being granted, the CSU team worked closely with officers from the borough’s Safer Neighbourhood Team and Paradigm Housing Group, who own the property, to gather evidence of the tenants’ unacceptable behaviour that was having a detrimental effect on neighbours.

The order – granted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 – states that for the next three months, the only people allowed to enter the property are Paradigm Housing Group and their contracted agents, and the emergency services.

Anyone who breaches the terms of the order could face arrest and a fine, imprisonment or both.

Sergeant Mike Saunders, from the Dacorum Community Safety Unit, said: “We hope this result will provide some respite from the ongoing issues suffered by neighbours and improve their quality of life.

“Our Safer Neighbourhood Team colleagues will continue to regularly patrol the area, but in the interim, we have asked neighbours to report any breaches of the order to us as soon as possible so we can take further action if required.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe and happy in their home and no one should be subjected to continued anti-social behaviour, such as the chronic use of cannabis and other drug related activity. If you engage in this type of activity, then you can expect your home to be the next target for us.

“If you have information about suspected drug activity and anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood, please don’t hesitate to report it to us. We will take it seriously and we will do all we can to prevent it from adversely affecting the lives of decent, law-abiding people who live nearby.”