Police swoop in on a suspicious man with a green rucksack strapped to the front of his body. CCTV has picked him up and the Covid-19 tea...
Police swoop in on a suspicious man with a green rucksack strapped to the front of his body.
CCTV has picked him up and the Covid-19 team are deployed to Gritley Mews in The Meadows to get a closer look.
He is stopped and his bag is searched, where a large amount of cannabis is discovered in a plastic sack.
He tells officers: "I'm buying in bulk because you can't get out because of the lockdown."
It is an excuse that officers have heard many times before, so he is arrested on suspicion with intent to supply.
Drugs are still a problem for police despite the lockdown, but those addicted to harder substances such as crack cocaine and heroin don't have the crime to commit to feed the habit.
Inspector James Walker leads a team of police constables, specials, community support officers and community protection officers as part of the new Covid-19 police task force.
He covers The Meadows, St Ann's and Clifton, and describes patrolling the area like "Christmas Day every day" as most people abide by the rules and have stayed indoors.
He said: "Acquisitive crime has gone down because people are at home, so there is less burglary and less people on the streets to commit robberies. Shops are shut so there are less shop thefts.
"Therefore, the people who use drugs have got less money to buy them.
"I don't think it's stopped but we are not seeing it in its usual guise. How it has changed? It is difficult to say yet but it is still happening."
Another man is also stopped in The Meadows with spice and cannabis which he has concealed in medicine bottles and he will be interviewed under caution.
The Bridgeway shopping centre still has people milling about, around 25 in total, as the Co-op, the Family Shopper, a fruit and veg store, a meat shop and the pharmacy remain open for business.
People stay two metres apart as they queue to be let inside shops. It is a one in, one out policy.
Lucy Bashforth is a community protection officer who has changed her role since the lockdown.
As the number of anti-social behaviour and environmental crimes drop, she is now carrying out welfare checks on the elderly and even delivering shopping to those in need.
She said: "People are trying to get out as much as possible, but in The Meadows most people abide by the rules. We did have an issue with the pharmacy.
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