Drug crime plague has scared off tourists claims MP
TORY BACKBENCHER CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE ISSUE
Drug crime is happening in all parts of my town – this makes people afraid
Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley
WEST Yorkshire is being “plagued” by drug crime, leaving many “afraid” to visit certain areas, an MP has claimed.
Keighley MP Robbie Moore, whose constituency covers the picturesque town of Ilkley, told how drug crime is happening in “all parts” of his constituency.
The Tory backbencher called for “urgent” Government action as he revealed how one constituent had shared fears that his young son was being exposed to a life of crime.
He said: “When I was first elected, one of the first constituency meetings which I had was with a father who came along to tell me that his 13-yearold son had come home from school one day saying, in all innocence, ‘Dad, I know exactly what I want to do when I’m older’ and that was to become a drug dealer.
“That wasn’t because this 13-yearold saw it as something it was good to aspire to, because he is seeing people driving around chiefly in blacked-out cars, fancy cars, and we all know what those individuals are driving and we know where that money comes from. This father was heartbroken.”
Mr Moore said many more of his constituents had been “plagued” by drug crime, adding: “If you go for a walk in some parts of my constituency, there is a strong chance that you will see drug crime and drug distribution taking place.
“Drug crime is happening in all parts of my town. This makes people afraid, it puts them off coming into Keighley, which is in a really good, attractive place where we want to encourage more people to come.
“But we’ve got to address some of these darker underlying issues.”
Mr Moore said Keighley’s geography made the area particularly vulnerable to drug crime, he said: “By bordering two local police areas, drug gangs can use this geographical position to get away with drug dealing undetected by police.”
The MP, speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, said he would like to see a “hardline approach” against the “evil” drugs gangs.
He also called for more intervention at a young age in schools to educate children about the dangers of drugs.
Home Office Minister Kit Malthouse said tackling drugs as a “priority” of Boris Johnson’s Government.
He said: “We accept that drug related crime inflicts a terrible toll on our society and we are determined to turn the tide.”