Police have made attempts to crack down on drug dealing and anti-social behaviour at an estate in Reading where dealers have taken over people’s homes.
The Hexham Road estate in Whitley is made up of a mix of flats and terraced homes.
It also has a community centre and a park for the use of residents.
However, the area has been identified as a hotspot for crime and anti-social behaviour by police.
To tackle this, police officers have issued seven closure orders on homes in the area over the last year.
Closure orders are used to help prevent ‘cuckooing ‘, which involves criminals taking over the homes of vulnerable people for drug dealing operations, to facilitate sex work and for the financial abuse of the occupant.
Police activity in the estate was mentioned during a Thames Valley Police presentation at a Reading Borough Council meeting.
Felicity Parker, local command unit commander for Berkshire West said: “We saw reports from the public saying there is increased vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the area.
“People have been cuckooed who are vulnerable and elderly residents in the area, and drug users have been using their homes and taking advantage of them.
“So we have been able to identify who those offenders are, we’ve had seven closure orders which have been put in place to protect those vulnerable people.
“It means those offenders are no longer allowed back into those areas.
“The anti-social behaviour has reduced within the blocks of flats that are around there as well.”
Officers have also issued 11 community protection warnings banning people from the estate over the last year.
If a person breaches the warning, they will be issued a community protection notice that can lead to penalties, including fines, court orders and criminal prosecution.
Officers have been using the police Hotspot app to track activity and log patrols they undertake.
Commander Parker explained: “We have that increased presence and visibility for our community to feel more reassured.”
The information about police activity in the Hexham Road Estate was reported to the council’s policy committee on Monday, April 7.
According to Thames Valley Police, five crimes were reported in the area in February this year.
There were two incidents of anti-social behaviour and a report of criminal damage and arson in Bamburgh Close, one public order offence in Morpeth Close, and an anti-social behaviour incident in Corbridge Road.
