Court order to prevent ‘cuckooing’

MAGISTRATES have issued an unusual court order which bans a Bristol man from having anyone else in his flat in a bid to protect him from drug dealers.

The man, who has not been named, is now not allowed to have anyone other than official authorities in his flat, under a court order which police hope will stop drug dealers using his flat.

The vulnerable man lives around Staple Hill, and has found his flat taken over by drug dealers over the past few months, police said.

Neighbours and residents in the Phoenix Grove area have reported multiple issues from this practice – which police call ‘cuckooing’. People living nearby said there has been a big problem with drug-dealing, drug misuse and anti-social behaviour in the past six months.

Police raided the flat in January and found large amounts of Class A drugs and weapons, including machetes.

Now, police anti-social behaviour teams have been trying to sort out the problem, and have decided to take what they said was an unusual step of a ‘partial closure order’ for his Sovereign Housing Association flat.

Normally, flats taken over by cuckooing drug dealers are simply shut down. This time, the vulnerable resident is allowed to stay – but no one else is allowed in, apart from council housing officers, housing association officers and the emergency services.