I'm with Andy Coles again – Andy is a councillor at Peterborough City Council for the Fletton and Woodston ward.
We've come to Wellingtonia Cycleway at the corner of Wolf Road and Railworld Walk, a very popular and busy footpath and cycleway into town for local residents – it has the Nene on one side and 'Thomas the Tank Engine' rail line on the other.
"Sadly," says Andy, "it's very popular with drug users and drug dealers – before the dirty needle bins were installed, I picked up 369 used needles around here. We've also had serious problems with rough sleepers on the river's banks.
"Together with a community group, which was concerned with what was going on here and in the wider Peterborough, there was a successful campaign to help drug users dispose of their dirty needles in a safe and sensible way – of significant value has been the installation of ten needle boxes, provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner's fund."
We need more effective policing
"According to the council's records, this box has held the most needles – and while it has also been tagged, covered in graffiti and is looking in a bit of a sorry state, it is still here, still helping to deal with the dirty needle end of the drug issue.
"But what we really need is for more effective policing to deal with the overall drug and drug dealing problem in Peterborough.
"As a Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Darryl, what do you have to say about this?"
"Well," Andy, "the needle bins – what a great idea! It saves children from coming across dirty needles and people like you from having to pick them up.
"If elected, I would continue to support such initiatives where there is a good case to protect our communities.
Drugs and drug dealers are unacceptable
"As a former serving officer, like you, I understand when residents get upset and worried – not surprisingly they feel scared seeing people taking drugs or dealing in drugs. It's just unacceptable.
"And what we're seeing are organised criminals causing and reaping havoc on our communities – it's how organised crime manifests itself in our communities.
We need to go after the Mr Bigs
"So, on being elected, I would invest in our regional serious crime teams and our national crime agencies, going after the Mr Bigs, the people who don't pay their taxes, the people have a lavish lifestyle at our expense.
"Let's get them behind bars where they belong."
Darryl Preston is the Conservative candidate in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner election in May 2021. There's more about Darryl on the About Darryl Preston page.
