A POLICE sergeant has warned about the costly impact organised drug crime is having in rural West Oxfordshire.

While Oxford grapples with its own drug problem, Sgt Chris Cochrane, based in the west of the county, has spoken about the effects suffered in more rural areas.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Witney Town Council, he said that organised crime involving drugs and child exploitation was affecting Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton.

His comments followed a series of recent raids and property searches in the area that have seen officers seize thousands of pounds worth of drugs.

Sgt Cochrane urged councillors to do what they could to engage with vulnerable teenagers in the community and ensure they stay on the right track.

He said: “City gangs are coming into rural towns like [Witney], exploiting the vulnerable, using our local criminals or drug users, setting up shop in their houses and basically selling drugs left, right and centre.”

The sergeant said that officers seized £30,000 worth of drugs during raids in the Witney area in March.

He said another two searches in the town last month saw officers seize around the same volume of drugs.

Sgt Cochrane added: “We’re working hard on it. It’s something that affects everybody. It affects the community and it makes crime go up.”

Urging the council to do what they could to keep children away from organised crime, he continued: “Involving these vulnerable children and making them feel part of the community is one of the things that is missing at that vulnerable age – 14, 15, 16 – because they are being exploited with the gold at the end of the rainbow when it comes to this kind of lifestyle

“It’s a glamorous lifestyle and it’s easy money, but they are being abused and it needs to be stopped.

“Community projects involving the youth is vital in our fight against this kind of exploitation.”

He said that officers were also taking a more compassionate approach to adult drug users victimised by gangs.

Sgt Cochrane continued: “Regarding older users, we are working with [substance abuse charity] Turning Point and housing associations to find the right support and they are getting daily visits from officers to make sure their use is being managed in the right way by the supporting services – but also making sure those people that were exploiting them aren’t visiting them.

“They’re getting visits from officers instead.”

'County lines' drug dealing, where gangs in London and Birmingham move into county locations, was named as a priority by Thames Valley Police this year.