Drug use in Parker Street

A SUPER model guru joined business representatives and residents taking a stand against “out of control” drug use in Covent Garden.

The Extra heard horror stories of day-to-day life in Parker Street at the meeting in Premier Model Management office, run by Carole White, on Tuesday.

There have been reports of blatant drug deals, intimidating behaviour, street defecation, theft and intimidation of schoolchildren, together making life intolerable for people who live and work there.

The group say that police, the council and prime minister and Holborn and St Pancras MP Sir Keir Starmer are allowing the situation to spiral and simply paying “lip service” rather than taking action.

The reports of a street under siege bear a striking similarity to the calls for help from residents in Wicklow Street, King’s Cross, whose plight we reported on last summer.

Ms White said: “There used to be police, we used to know their names, but not any more.

“We had a meeting last September and what we got was the fake police – community support – coming down for a week or so. And then they just stopped. These guys know, and they come back.

“Why should we put up with this? We have to attract attention. We have to do something about it.”

Ms White, celebrated as the “mum of models” for her Parker Street bus­iness she has run since 1990, and has managed supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista there.

Street drug use and sales are on full public display across the borough due to a number of factors including shortage of council housing, poor quality hostels and a police force which is strapped for cash and not investigating low-level crimes.

The Metropolitan Police Service says it is investigating drug crime at a higher level in bid to bust the chain of supply down to street level.

Joanne Scarlett, who spoke about her daughter feeling scared to come home from school, said: “It’s intimidating. My daughter is at school. They are sometimes in our doorway, they can’t get the key in the door because druggies are there. She is worldly, she goes to school in London, but it is not fair she has to stand up to druggie adults.

“The other day there was a woman in the doorway, literally, pants down as we came out of the lift having a poo. I would have taken a photo of her arse. She had taken a s***, but didn’t give a s*** about us.”

Residents said they felt that the authorities were focusing on keeping “tourist areas” safe and clean, without any concern for residential life in Covent Garden.

“It’s the blatantness of it all that really gets me,” said one woman.

“Every day at 2.30pm-3pm there is a dealer on the street with a queue of crackheads. They come at the same time, and it’s very close to the school entrance. It’s the same dealers every day.”

Another woman said: “We need arrests, we need exclusion orders, the dealers feel confident because there is no punitive action.”

One of the organisers of the meeting, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s almost like it is normal to walk out of your home and see people shooting up, or see people walking up and down like zombies. It’s been an absolute nightmare and it needs to be sorted.

“We have absolutely no luck with the council or the police. I have completely lost confidence with them. We are in this cycle of reporting things. There are no actions.”

Ward councillor Sue Vincent said: “Covent Garden and the West End has become lawless and without additional financial support needed for experienced and dedicated police on the ground this terrifying criminal behaviour will escalate.

“It needs to be urgently addressed. We need more resources, both for the council and the police. This is what happens after decades of cuts.”

After earlier reports on doorstep drug deals in King’s Cross, the problem subsided and police and the council came together to draw up a new action plan for the area.

Chief Inspector Peter Luciano, who leads the Camden neighbourhood policing team, said: “Local officers are aware of street drug use in and around Parker Street.

“Along with the Euston town centre team and Camden Council community safety enforcement officers, we are actively taking steps to reduce the level of anti-social behaviour. Significant resources, which may not be seen by residents, are also deployed in the local area to prevent robbery and violence.

“Additional patrols, by community safety enforcement officers and police officers, especially late at night, form part of our policing plan for the coming months.

“And we remain committed to arresting and putting before the courts those responsible for the supply of illegal drugs and the misery this causes.”