Drugs in post and off-road bikes plague town

Police have warned people are receiving illegal drugs through the post

Drugs in the post and off-road bikes are among the problems plaguing a Teesside town, police have said.

Cleveland Police said there was a rise in people ordering illegal substances from overseas and having them delivered in the post to Stockton.

At a meeting with councillors, Ch Insp Dan Heron said the practice was adding extra pressure to the force's drug enforcement efforts while the issue of off-road bikes was also a daily "nightmare".

However, the force said drug trafficking cases in the area had fallen by almost 10% from May 2023 to April 2024 compared to the previous year.

Speaking at a Safer Stockton Partnership meeting, Ch Insp Heron said a survey of Stockton residents found anti-social behaviour, drugs, and burglary to be their top concerns.

He said the force had seen "significant reductions" in the number of burglaries and drug trafficking cases in the last year.

However, anti-social behaviour had increased by 4.1% to 4,711 incidents year-on-year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ch Insp Heron also said there had been a "significant increase" in people getting drugs, including cannabis and heroin, delivered in the post in Stockton in line with a national rise.

"It’s worth mentioning that extra bit of pressure we're now seeing around that," he said, adding agencies had been focussed on tackling street dealers.

Cleveland Police said there were 2,844 fewer crimes in Stockton year on year

Despite not being named as a top concern, Ch Insp Heron said: "Not a day goes by that we don’t have multiple reports of off-road bikes.

"They're just a total nightmare."

In Stockton, there were 22,239 crimes in 2023-24, which was 2,844 fewer than the previous year, the officer said.

Homicide, death or injury due to driving and vehicle crime were up on the previous year – with crimes of death or injury due to driving up from five to 17.

But most other crimes were down, with rape down 29%, stalking and harassment down almost 20%, theft down 53%, and public disorder down 28%, Ch Insp Heron said.