Don’t mention the drugs
Idyllic town where residents keep quiet – to keep house prices high
WITH its 12th century church, active civic society and mill pond, Melbourne is a quintessential English market town.
But it is also home to an aspect of modern life which the residents are less keen to shout about, say police.
Sergeant Matt Ladd told how drug crimes could be going unreported – as the Derbyshire locals fear the stigma could lead to plummeting house prices. He reassured a community forum in the upmarket Georgian town – birthplace of Thomas Cook – that although there was drug abuse in the town, residents need not be overly concerned. ‘We had someone say they don’t want to
call in drug incidents because they think it will make house prices drop,’ he said. ‘That is completely unacceptable and is not true at all. Drug crimes are typically victimless in these cases. Someone is caught with drugs and dealt with. ‘None of this should alarm you but recording more incidents is positive. It sends a message that we are out there and we will stop these people.’ Melbourne, population 5,000, has been ranked as one of the best places to live in the UK. Average property prices are £300,000-plus and it hosts an annual creative
and performing arts festivals. The community meeting was told police have been making extra efforts to curb drug-related crimes. Sergeant Ladd said the number of such offences dealt with in 2019 was nine for the Melbourne area. Six of those were in December after plain-clothed officers were deployed in the town
and nearby Hilton. Sergeant Ladd told the meeting: ‘What is concerning is that a lot of those people are under 18.’ He could not be contacted yesterday to elaborate as he was off work but the town’s Tory county councillor Linda Chilton agreed there was a reticence to report drug abuse. ‘Some people are
afraid of comeback,’ she told the meeting. ‘We do have a drug problem here but I can’t force people to come to the police directly.’ On a community Facebook group, resident Georgie Tomlinson posted: ‘It’s long been my suspicion that there are more drugs going on than anyone will admit so it doesn’t surprise me!’ Richard
Smith added: ‘I know some people here who would turn a blind eye to criminal activity if they thought it would give the town a bad rep. ‘Melbourne is a lovely place but it does have its share of Hyacinth Bucket types and this attitude does nobody any good in the long run. It is no good burying your head in the sand.’
‘Does have its share of Hyacinth Buckets’