By Jenna Cairney

THE POLICE claimed last night a major operation in Dundee has been a success, with an area “dry” of drugs.

The sustained action, named Operation Waterloo, has targeted the Hilltown, with police working behind the scenes for months gathering intelligence and tracking down key players in heroin supply.

Sergeant Ron Brown said it is a battle the police are winning.

Officers patrolled some of the city’s drug hotspots last night.

Mr Brown also warned drug dealers and criminals that “criminal fraternities” will no longer be tolerated on the streets of Dundee.

Mr Brown continued, “We are reducing crime and the intelligence we have gained tonight is that the Hilltown is dry.

“That’s good news for us and we feel it is as a direct result of the work we are doing.

“We want to send out a message that we are here to stay. The people we deal with move on but others take their place and I don’t think we will ever resolve it.

“It is a battle but we are up for it and we are now reaping the benefits.”

The campaign only came to the public eye at the start of this month when a series of high-profile raids across the city resulted in 20 arrests, the recovery of dealer amounts of heroin and a four-figure cash sum.

Mr Brown warned more drug raids are on the cards.

He said, “We now have a good picture of how the drug scene is in Dundee and we have intelligence on the individuals involved.

“It depends on the intelligence we get, but if we have that, we can expect to see more of these raids.”

The latest stage of the operation will mean uniformed patrols 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in communities to deter criminals, gather information and reassure residents.

A CCTV unit also patrols the streets.

Stobswell and the Hilltown—recently highlighted as being “awash with heroin”—are to be targeted, with police hoping to work with the public and shopkeepers.

Sergeant Brown said, “We need the public to assist us with our intelligence-gathering and more than anything the shop owners, particularly in Stobswell, have been extremely supportive.

“Many of them are saying that Albert Street is starting to go back to being what it was like in the 1980s, with people walking up and down the street pestering people. There is a drug fraternity present.

“This is a long-term thing that is going to be ongoing.

“It is manpower-intensive but it’s fundamental to fulfilling our obligations and we must continue to fight crime and ensure our communities are safe.”

In the side-streets off Arbroath Road and Albert Street, two officers patrolled watching out for women loitering or cars circling.

The police approached one woman three times as she walked alone backwards and forwards from Broughty Ferry Road to Arbroath Road, until she finally headed in the direction of home.

PC Rachel Bruce said she was known to them as a prostitute but explained it was impossible to arrest her simply for walking around.

As well as gathering information, officers deal with the general kind of anti-social behaviour that makes residents afraid of walking the streets at night.

The multis in the Hilltown are to be searched from top to bottom and officers will take note of any drug paraphernalia that is found.

Last night officers on patrol said both areas were unusually quiet.