:00:07. > :00:12.What's ruining thousands of lives in one Welsh city? You can see it
:00:12. > :00:17.in the street. You can see it in the faces of people. I would call
:00:17. > :00:21.them the living dead? About ten years ago the problem came like an
:00:21. > :00:28.avalanche on top of us. We have had ongoing problems ever since. What
:00:28. > :00:35.is fuelling the crime wave? We do it because our bodies are in so
:00:35. > :00:44.much pain we've got no choice. the police spending �500,000 of
:00:44. > :00:51.public money fighting it? It's a problem. Let's tack tl together. --
:00:51. > :01:01.tackle it together. Put before the court, prison sentence, released,
:01:01. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :01:10.Police. South Wales Police Force is waging a war on the streets of
:01:10. > :01:18.Swansea, dozens of raids like this have been carried out to dismantle
:01:18. > :01:23.the drugs trade from top to bot 2078. -- bottom. Heroin is top of
:01:23. > :01:27.their hit-list and everything that goes with it. That there is a
:01:27. > :01:33.sachet that a needle comes in. There are needle caps etc. I will
:01:33. > :01:41.not put my hands in, there for obvious reasons. Straightaway, that
:01:41. > :01:44.is the first sign of linking this property to heroin use. The city of
:01:45. > :01:49.Swansea has been plighted by heroin for the last decade. It became an
:01:49. > :01:53.area of rich pickings for organised crime gangs. The police chief
:01:53. > :01:58.drawing up the battle lines know what is they are up against.
:01:58. > :02:04.they see demand, then supply will come along. We don't have some of
:02:04. > :02:07.the issues that they may have in other cities such as armed or
:02:08. > :02:11.drive-by shootings. Some may think we are an easy option. We are not
:02:11. > :02:16.an easy option. We will be here and deal with. It this will be our
:02:16. > :02:25.focus for the foreseeable future. This is approximately 1100 street
:02:25. > :02:35.deals when you think... Raids uncover links with drug gangs in
:02:35. > :02:37.
:02:37. > :02:42.Liverpool, Bristol and London. of the drug dealers have stated
:02:42. > :02:51.they run touchable. We will find you, we will get you and put you
:02:51. > :02:55.behind bars. We'll get them all. It's not just the gangs being
:02:55. > :03:00.targeted, police officers on the ground are after users as well.
:03:00. > :03:05.They want heroin off the streets. We've had significant assaults here
:03:05. > :03:10.as a result of drug battles and substance misuse battles in this
:03:10. > :03:14.area here. I think it's winnable. We have all, all agencies have to
:03:14. > :03:24.buy into the project. We have to work closely together. That is the
:03:24. > :03:28.way we will turn it around. Amy is only 20. She has been a user for
:03:29. > :03:35.seven years. When you're an addict, you go to bed. You wake up. You
:03:35. > :03:40.open your eyes and you think, straightaway, "where am I going to
:03:40. > :03:44.get money from" or, "where am I going to score from" much you get
:03:44. > :03:49.up to get the money for the heroin. You buy the heroin. You do the
:03:49. > :03:57.heroin. Then it starts all over again. Amy first took the drug when
:03:58. > :04:07.she was 13. She was trapped by one of the many dealers. What the
:04:07. > :04:12.dealers do see, they give you it and say, do you want a line. I was
:04:12. > :04:19.13 and curious. As it was free, as soon as you are hooked you have to
:04:19. > :04:24.pay for it. A lot of dealers will say, you can have a bag if you give
:04:24. > :04:28.me a blow job or have sex with me. Is one of an estimated 3,000 heroin
:04:28. > :04:33.users in Swansea. Nick is another one. He has been on heroin for
:04:33. > :04:43.seven years. He has just relapsed after coming back to the city from
:04:43. > :04:46.
:04:46. > :04:56.a treatment programme in Birmingham. Despite the treatment programme he
:04:56. > :05:05.
:05:05. > :05:15.is back to his old ways. An easy Daily life is chaotic for Nick.
:05:15. > :05:27.
:05:27. > :05:36.He's homeless and has been sleeping Nick's worldly possessions are a
:05:36. > :05:46.couple of blankets stashed away behind a bin. He reclaims them at
:05:46. > :05:47.
:05:47. > :05:52.night. Heroin ruins user's life, -- lives it brings with it other costs.
:05:52. > :05:57.The area's hospitals are picking up the piece deal with the disease
:05:57. > :06:03.that' appeared almost over night. About ten years ago the problem
:06:03. > :06:06.came like an avalanche on top of us here in Swansea. We have had
:06:06. > :06:11.ongoing problems ever since. It's draining vast resources out of our
:06:11. > :06:15.Heath care. We don't need. This we have taken action on prevention of
:06:15. > :06:19.accidents in children, road accidents. We have reduced things
:06:19. > :06:29.like this. We have actioned drunk driving. These things have been
:06:29. > :06:33.tackled. This new disease has hit us, with huge consequences. Heroin
:06:33. > :06:39.isn't just hitting the hospitals and damaging lives, it's fuelling a
:06:39. > :06:44.crime wave all of its own. Most people who do enter a drug crime
:06:44. > :06:48.cycle when heroin is involved can commit vast amounts of crime.
:06:48. > :06:53.Offenders are as the name suggestion, in Swansea, my last
:06:53. > :06:57.count it's around about 80% or 90% of them are heroin users in one way
:06:57. > :07:03.shape or form. It's sad. Some of these people are victims themselves.
:07:03. > :07:07.That is one way of looking at. It the amount of misery and chaos they
:07:07. > :07:11.cause by their addiction, that has a massive effect on society. It's
:07:11. > :07:17.the need for the drug which causes most of the crime in Swansea.
:07:17. > :07:27.Feeding a habit can cost you up to �100 a day. Stealing becomes
:07:27. > :07:52.
:07:52. > :08:02.Amy's no strange tore crime either. Been to prison now for four times
:08:02. > :08:08.because of it. My nana brought me up my whole life. She is the best
:08:08. > :08:16.nana. I robbed her because I needed drugs so bad. I shoplifted. I sold
:08:17. > :08:23.my body to old men. From the age of 14 I was working in parlours when I
:08:23. > :08:29.was 15. You wake up and you think, God, a tenner, no I haven't. Let's
:08:29. > :08:33.go shoplifting and do a punter. Let's buy gear. It's a circle.
:08:33. > :08:43.Swansea the fight is on to disrupt life for people like Nick and Amy,
:08:43. > :08:46.
:08:46. > :08:54.who spend most of their time in the city centre. It's been used a tool
:08:55. > :08:58.called section 27. It bans anyone who has anti-social behaviour.
:08:58. > :09:03.level anti-social behaviour. Coming into the city centre, rowdyness,
:09:03. > :09:09.they are abusing law abiding members of the public, traders
:09:09. > :09:12.retailers. Having a significant impact on those. Reare discouraging
:09:12. > :09:16.people visiting the city centre. We try to deter that individual away.
:09:16. > :09:20.It takes hard work. A lot of police resources. There is a need for. It
:09:20. > :09:26.we need bring the resources here to bring back the feel good factor
:09:26. > :09:29.back into the city centre. To make people feel safe visiting here.
:09:29. > :09:35.Across the city, officers have spotted two people who have been
:09:35. > :09:41.warned to get out of town. Lower your voice. Lower your voice.
:09:41. > :09:47.Listen to me a minute. Listen to me speaking. Stop shouting at me. You
:09:47. > :09:53.had Section 27. We would prerbt you go -- appreciate you going home.
:09:53. > :10:02.Don't shout at me in the street, all right? They are moved on.
:10:02. > :10:08.Shortly afterwards there is another call. Another member of the public.
:10:08. > :10:17.They are asked to leave again. When this final warning is ignored, they
:10:17. > :10:25.are arrested. Latest figures show there have been 20 Section 27's
:10:25. > :10:30.handed out in the last few months. If they stayed in town we would
:10:30. > :10:35.have had anti-social behaviour, which you witnessed some of. They
:10:35. > :10:39.were arrested to prevent any further repercussions. Another day,
:10:39. > :10:42.another search. Office verse stopped a known heroin user. We are
:10:42. > :10:46.asking for the individual's movements. He passed over his bag
:10:46. > :10:50.to be checked. No items in it. We had previous information,
:10:50. > :10:55.intelligence, hence why the individual needs to be spoken to.
:10:55. > :11:02.One of our offenders in and out of prison. Caught, arrested, charged,
:11:02. > :11:07.put before the court. Convicted, prison sentence, released. Cycle
:11:07. > :11:12.starts again. It's a cycle of crime that police m Swansea are
:11:12. > :11:16.determined to break. Are the Section 27 orders moving the
:11:16. > :11:21.problem around? It buys us some time. The police will still
:11:21. > :11:25.continue to do. That we will continue to buy some time, but we
:11:25. > :11:33.need all of the agencies involved to come together, identify, accept
:11:33. > :11:37.the problem and tack tl together. The latest anti-heroin clampdown is
:11:37. > :11:45.costing �500,000. Money well spent, according to the man leading it.
:11:45. > :11:48.know from national figures that each addict could cost society, up
:11:49. > :11:54.to �850,000. When you work through all of the treatment, all the
:11:54. > :11:59.criminal justice issues that arise, you can see a significant number of
:11:59. > :12:05.costs involved. Some people may think, if you take heroin, you die,
:12:05. > :12:11.so what, that is your own fault. I have a different view. It's a
:12:11. > :12:16.tragedy that a human life has been lost. Swansea was averaging 16
:12:16. > :12:24.deaths a year from heroin over doses, each one a personal tragedy.
:12:24. > :12:28.For those who survive, it takes its toll. Heroin doesn't come off a
:12:28. > :12:33.product like line like a pharmaceutical company. It's mixed
:12:33. > :12:40.with addicts, rubbish, dirty water, cement is used. If you inject it
:12:40. > :12:44.into your veins you will get an abscess. They come in with infected
:12:44. > :12:48.limbs. They will inject anything to get that fix. All this dirty
:12:48. > :12:56.material and water is get injected in there. Not surprising they get
:12:56. > :13:04.infections. Four people in the last two months have died through heroin.
:13:04. > :13:09.Four of my friends. Everyone's dying. Stick a needle in your arm
:13:09. > :13:14.and you know you could die. It's not worth it. After seven years of
:13:14. > :13:21.abuse, Amy has been warned to stop taking heroin or risk becoming
:13:21. > :13:27.another drug death statistic. got a vein in my body. I had some
:13:27. > :13:32.someone with a dirty needle going in my groin. I let him do it all
:13:32. > :13:37.because, not because I wanted to, I needed that so much because I was
:13:37. > :13:47.in so much pain. My stomach, my back, I couldn't walk. I was being
:13:47. > :13:51.sick. The pain is - people judge you, it's wrong. The focus is on
:13:51. > :13:55.the police's battle to catch dealers. Drug support agencies will
:13:55. > :14:01.have to deliver as well. Eddie Isles works for one organisation
:14:01. > :14:04.set up to help keep addicts healthy and get them on to treatment
:14:04. > :14:08.programmes. I think probably one of the ways of describing this
:14:08. > :14:12.particular piece of enforcement would be to think of almost as
:14:12. > :14:15.tough love. I think there are anxieties about this. It has to be
:14:15. > :14:21.the right thing to do though. Sometimes, in doing the right thing,
:14:21. > :14:27.you have to take the risk that it may expose unintended consequences
:14:27. > :14:31.or it may create other demand problems. But I think, this is a
:14:31. > :14:35.problem which has been buried out of sight for too long really and
:14:35. > :14:45.the amount of drug deaths we have had in Swansea over the last few
:14:45. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:57.years was a major cause of concern. Nick is alive but still sleeping
:14:57. > :15:03.
:15:03. > :15:07.rough. Keeping warm is not his only The easy viability of the drug on
:15:07. > :15:17.the streets and those all too willing to push it have been too
:15:17. > :15:43.
:15:43. > :15:53.Elsewhere, there's about to be an early wake-up call. Courtesy of the
:15:53. > :15:58.drugs squad. And again. Police. Is anyone here? A warrant to search
:15:58. > :16:04.the premises under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The occupants have some
:16:04. > :16:09.explaining to do. Police find cannabis plants and cultivation
:16:09. > :16:13.equipment. We acted on information and intelligence. As a result of
:16:13. > :16:15.executing that warrant, two persons were found at the property and have
:16:15. > :16:21.been arrested on the other hand suspicion of production of a
:16:21. > :16:26.controlled drug. Would you like to give me one of your names? Your
:16:26. > :16:29.surname? I don't have a surname, sir. OK. Amongst the cannabis and
:16:29. > :16:38.chaos they are searching for evidence of heroin and other drugs.
:16:38. > :16:43.Every room is checked, even the atti c. Those handcuffs are there
:16:43. > :16:49.for your safety and mine. There are bladed articles around you at the
:16:49. > :16:53.moment. Until I can establish these premises, this is why you have been
:16:53. > :16:59.handcuffed. They haven't found heroin in this search they
:16:59. > :17:03.dismannedleed a cannabis crop. is an ongoing initiative and one of
:17:03. > :17:06.many we will be doing over the coming months. Police are
:17:06. > :17:11.continuing to investigate this discovery. In terms of enforcement,
:17:11. > :17:14.we'll do all we can to make sure that we stamp it out and send a
:17:14. > :17:22.strong message to the communities that it won't be tolerated.
:17:22. > :17:29.heroin in this raid, but elsewhere the search goes on. Across town
:17:29. > :17:34.there is a call to the control room. That leads to a very successful
:17:35. > :17:42.bust. �5,000 worth of heroin there. On the street would be cut up and
:17:42. > :17:50.be about �10,000 worth, 1100 deals a cracking result. In the last
:17:50. > :17:53.couple of days we seized a large quantity of heroin which would have
:17:53. > :17:58.been 1100 street deals. When you look at the human misery that would
:17:58. > :18:02.cause, I know that that is a success. That is the value of what
:18:02. > :18:06.we are doing is trying to turn people's lives around. As a result
:18:06. > :18:12.of the tip-off, two suspected dealers were charged with pocession
:18:12. > :18:17.with intent to supply and are awaiting trial. I take it as a
:18:17. > :18:21.personal mission. I'm from Swansea. I care about the area. I want to
:18:21. > :18:31.make sure that people can bring their families up in a drug-free
:18:31. > :18:32.
:18:32. > :18:38.society. Drying up the city's heroin supplies can have its own
:18:38. > :18:42.consequences on the streets as Amy knows only too well. When they did
:18:42. > :18:47.this major operation last year and they had all those deals. If you
:18:47. > :18:51.walked up the high street everyone was in bits. You couldn't, you
:18:51. > :18:59.couldn't get it nowhere. Now, it's back as it always has been, you can
:18:59. > :19:04.get it anywhere. But it was bad. It was really bad. Police are also
:19:04. > :19:09.aware of those consequences. Either the cost of heroin actually
:19:09. > :19:13.encreased and crime could increase. We have an occasions where it's got
:19:13. > :19:16.so short on the streets we had deaths where people have looked at
:19:16. > :19:21.other forms of drugs and taken those in different quantities and
:19:21. > :19:30.as a result they died. Sometimes success provides us with what we
:19:30. > :19:35.require for stats. If not managed properly, if we don't look at the
:19:35. > :19:41.demand properly, lack of supply can cause another problem. These police
:19:41. > :19:50.operations result in many addict being referred to rehab programmes.
:19:50. > :19:53.Christine Skelton is the manager of this centre for the homeless and
:19:53. > :19:57.deals with many of the city's substance abusers every day.
:19:57. > :19:59.need to be opportunistic. When somebody's ready to sort out the
:19:59. > :20:03.problem and want help and assistance, it needs to be
:20:03. > :20:10.available. What happens is, by the time a place comes up, they've
:20:10. > :20:13.dropped out of the system. It's because of the waiting lists.
:20:13. > :20:23.her 12 years at this Swansea charity, she has seen the number of
:20:23. > :20:30.substance abusers double. however 650 methadone places in
:20:30. > :20:38.Swansea and Neath. Seven beds. In Port Talbot. And maybe 6,000 people
:20:38. > :20:48.needing the service. One in 10 it won't receive a detox or methadone
:20:48. > :21:01.
:21:01. > :21:04.service. At Police HQ, the campaign DC Alan Murphy is counting money
:21:04. > :21:08.from a new raid. Checking for any drug residue. Everything is filmed
:21:08. > :21:18.for evidence. It could lead to more convictions in the battle to make
:21:18. > :21:34.
:21:34. > :21:44.Swansea a very uncomfortable place Nick has spent another night on the
:21:44. > :21:45.
:21:45. > :21:55.streets. His life is still blighted by his struggle with his addiction.
:21:55. > :21:57.
:21:57. > :22:07.It was cold this morning. Freezing. He's had some heroin. But not
:22:07. > :22:28.
:22:28. > :22:34.Many of the city's addicts want to kick the habit. Amy is one. She's
:22:34. > :22:38.on her fifth attempt at rehab. not had heroin today. I feel great
:22:38. > :22:46.and I am proud of myself and I'm going to keep trying. I went to
:22:46. > :22:51.rehab. I lasted 12 days. I been on methadone a few times. I tried
:22:51. > :22:56.doing it myself but it's impossible. You got to have the help or you
:22:56. > :23:00.can't do it. But a day later she's banned from the city centre on a
:23:00. > :23:05.Section 27. Not her first. The police's campaign will mean there
:23:05. > :23:08.will be more heroin addicts like Amy and Nick wanting treatment. But
:23:08. > :23:18.if addicts they refer for help are kept waiting, the clampdown could
:23:18. > :23:18.
:23:18. > :23:25.all unravel. They are waiting between 10 and 12 months. That for
:23:25. > :23:30.concern I have. Why are they waiting so long? They could offend
:23:30. > :23:36.on a daily basis. I think we are away from it. If you speak to the
:23:37. > :23:40.practitioners, then to ensure we have the right level of treatment,
:23:40. > :23:50.support for drug users, I don't think the resources are present at
:23:50. > :23:52.
:23:52. > :23:57.the moment. Those on the front line support the police campaign.
:23:57. > :24:01.workout the speed at people need to access services. If we lose it at
:24:01. > :24:05.that point, we lose the whole thread all the way through. Part of
:24:05. > :24:10.the change we may have to think about is how to manage those people
:24:10. > :24:15.who are in long-term treatment? They may get less frequent
:24:15. > :24:23.persistent than they currently get. If they are stable, that's great.
:24:23. > :24:30.The problem is, if they relapse, we are back to the start again.
:24:30. > :24:33.Welsh Government have set is access to treatment with set times. The
:24:33. > :24:36.Welsh Government says it is working closely with others in Swansea to
:24:36. > :24:39.tackle waiting lists. There's some additional funding for GPs. But
:24:39. > :24:41.overall, agencies will have to achieve more value for money out of
:24:41. > :24:45.existing funds. Nick's date in court has arrived. He'll plead
:24:45. > :24:55.guilty to shoplifting and is hoping for a fresh start away from heroin.
:24:55. > :24:58.
:24:58. > :25:01.I had six months discharge. Stay For Nick, getting out of Swansea
:25:01. > :25:06.and back onto a treatment programme in Brimingham seems his best hope
:25:06. > :25:13.of beating his addiction. Amy's back on the streets after her
:25:13. > :25:18.Section 27 ban and says she's still clean. Here, there and everywhere.
:25:18. > :25:28.But I'm on my script now. They're putting me in a detox centre for
:25:28. > :25:32.alcohol so I'll be sorted. When is that happening? A few weeks,
:25:32. > :25:42.eventually I will be sorted. minutes later, she's arrested. Her
:25:42. > :25:47.
:25:47. > :25:51.The police's campaign continues to bring success. Drug rehab agencies
:25:51. > :25:58.are giving their full support. But between them will they break
:25:58. > :26:03.Swansea's reputation as the heroin capital of Wales? The resources we
:26:03. > :26:11.have got in Swansea are excellent. There are some brilliant agencies.
:26:11. > :26:20.We just haven't got enough. And, unless we receive more funding, it
:26:20. > :26:27.could get significantly worse. personally think it is winnable.
:26:27. > :26:31.But all need to be working together. I hope everybody has the
:26:31. > :26:39.willingness to turn this around. We've been here before. Heroin in
:26:39. > :26:46.Swansea. It's not new. We have an opportunity to refocus. We have
:26:46. > :26:53.come on at secure the country from years ago. That opportunity of a
:26:53. > :26:56.more integrated approach will go. Amy could be facing prison after
:26:56. > :27:04.pleading guilty to her part in a burglary. She's being sentenced
:27:04. > :27:09.this week. But one thing she does know. Heroin has ruined her life.
:27:09. > :27:14.To any young people out there that are curious, like I was, when I was
:27:14. > :27:21.really young, don't touch it because the first time you take it,
:27:21. > :27:28.you will not stop. Once it gets holds the view, -- hold of you, you
:27:28. > :27:33.don't control the drugs. It controls you. At the end of the day,
:27:33. > :27:43.all you get from taking heroin is being found dead in the gutter.
:27:43. > :27:43.
:27:43. > :27:53.Nick, there could be light at the end of the tunnel. I've just had
:27:53. > :28:09.