Police warn of M-Cat 'epidemic' among young people in East Riding
POLICE are warning of a drug "epidemic" among young people in villages and towns in the East Riding.
Young people aged 14 and 17 are being caught in possession of mephedrone, known as M-Cat, in villages including Brough and Willerby.
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'Rife': PC Andy White, of the Willerby, Kirk Ella and Anlaby neighbourhood policing team.
Now, Humberside Police is appealing for East Riding communities to help them catch the dealers pushing the drugs on to young people before someone takes an overdose.
PC Andy White, of the Willerby, Kirk Ella and Anlaby neighbourhood policing team, believes the problem with the Class B drug has increased in the past few weeks.
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He said: "There seems to be a bit of an M-Cat epidemic in the area.
"It is difficult to pin down the dealers but it seems to be an issue with 14 to 17-year-olds.
"The drug seems very accessible for that age group and intelligence leads us to believe it is rife in the area."
Neighbourhood police officers have held a meeting with concerned parents, who suspect their children could be using the drug, after noticing a spike in seizures of M-Cat in recent weeks.
One mother, who attended the meeting, said her 15-year-old son had been transformed into a "Jekyll and Hyde" character by snorting the drug regularly.
The woman, who asked not to be named, told the Mail: "It seems to be something that has exploded in the area. Since Christmas, the drug has taken hold of him.
"At some points, he is angry and almost psychotic. He can be extremely difficult to control physically when he is angry.
"He is also very agitated and doesn't seem to sleep. During the night, he prowls around the house and sometimes climbs outside his bedroom window.
"He keeps us up all night."
The drug, formerly sold as plant food, is used as an alternative for amphetamine or harder drugs and is snorted by users.
In January 2010, a 17-year-old student from Woldgate College collapsed after he took the drug during his lunch break.
Concerns over its effect saw the drug outlawed in April 2010.
Possible side effects from snorting the drug include turning blue and feeling cold at the extremities, pains in the chest, throat and nose and suffering nosebleeds.
PC White said: "A small bag of cocaine will cost you £40. The same size of M-Cat will cost about £10.
"It is a big worry. The people using it don't know what they are snorting up their noses."
At the meeting held at Brough Police Station last week, one mother revealed her son has started using M-Cat dozens of times a day.
Another mother said her son would visit Hull to buy the drug if he could not find a dealer in their town.
She said: "We think he is buying it in Brough and when he can't get it in Brough, he is going on train into Hull.
"It seems to be easy to get hold of.
"He's stopped eating and has lost quite a bit of weight.
"M-Cat is an addiction for him."
PCSO Barbara Danby, of Brough neighbourhood policing team, described the meeting as "very positive" and showed families the police were taking their concerns very seriously.
She said: "Some of the parents felt as though they were on their own.
"We are going to continue working with the community in a bid to find out who the dealers are.
"There are concerns one of the kids will overdose.
"We don't know what it is in the drugs.
"I don't think the users understand the possible consequences."
The Brough mother fears the problem is getting worse, with more families being drawn into the web of drug abuse.
She said: "I can see the problem in the area getting worse.
"It is having a massive impact on the family.
"My son is even selling off his possessions to pay for the drug. We are having to lock some things up."
The mother said she had heard one teenager had a fit and collapsed after taking M-Cat.
She said: "It is very worrying.
"I think the problem in Brough could be helped if there was some kind of youth centre.
"People are bored and some kind of facility might help prevent things like this happening. There are no facilities in the town."
Nationally, the drug is proving a problem, with some studies claiming it has become more popular since it was banned.
The UK Border Agency made 54 seizures of 139kg of mephedrone in England and Wales in 2010-11.
Police forces made a further 1,946 seizures to take a total of 92kgs, 399 litres, 2,911 doses and 1,172 wraps or bags of the drug off the streets.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "Mephedrone is a harmful drug.
"The ban on mephedrone has enabled the law enforcement agencies to take action to seize the drug at our borders and on our streets.
"It has also sent out a clear message to young people about the risks of taking mephedrone."
Comments
by Red_ken
Thursday, May 31 2012, 6:50PM
“Come on PC White,Is that your best sparticus face,the goaty doesn't work”
by hullhappychap
Tuesday, May 29 2012, 3:19PM
“clued up policing here yet again....take a bow
this is not a new thing m cat has been around for years...
hull daily fail and humberside police doing a great job yet again.”
by I_M_Right
Monday, May 28 2012, 9:57PM
“@David_Nivea
Drug use is about experimentation, experience and enhancement and sometimes later on, addiction - not boredom.
In response to your petty comment regarding my supposed advocation of drug use by children - I made a reference to teenagers, whom at 18 & 19 years old are in fact adults.”
by boblfc
Monday, May 28 2012, 8:13PM
“When it was legal nobody cared about it or wanted it now its illegal everybody wants it
THE DRUG WAR THE ONLY UNWINNABLE WAR”
by smartguy1
Monday, May 28 2012, 7:40PM
“Crackdown on drugs, real police work is what we need. Come on guys catch as many of dealers as you can.”
by robnally
Monday, May 28 2012, 6:27PM
“this guy is a muppet !!!! does not help u when u need it, he is full a beans.”
by David_Nivea
Monday, May 28 2012, 5:46PM
“"People are bored and some kind of facility might help prevent things like this happening. There are no facilities in the town."
I am under the impression that virtually every 'young person' in the 14-17 age group has iPods, phones, computers, X-boxes, TV's in their rooms etc., etc. Certainly most buses resound to the sound of endless inane babbling on phones and public broadcasts of their latest download: how can they be bored?
It couldn't be, could it, that they are simply boring dullards?
@I_M_Right: Tobacco & alcohol are illegal for people under the age of 18 [ie: "children"] because of their inherent dangers. Adults only you see. Nice to see you advocating illegal drug use for kids anyway.”
by opinionhated
Monday, May 28 2012, 5:09PM
“So is M-cat just below Top-cat in the pecking order?
And do the snorters have a growing spurt shortly after the deed?
Plod fails again eh?
Rife in 14 to 17 year olds?
Where do they hang out then?
SCHOOL, PERCHANCE?”
by I_M_Right
Monday, May 28 2012, 4:10PM
“A spokesman for the Home Office said: "Mephedrone is a harmful drug"
What is that statement based on, years of medical research? No, it's just an opinion. The fact remains that cigarettes and alchohol are harmful to health and are both legal drugs.
I'm confused as to why some people are commenting on youth clubs, this has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Drug use comes about as part of self exploration, from a desire to experience an alternative perception of life with a view to expanding ones mind. At least that's why I took drugs when i was growing up.
Most illegal drugs are less harmful to health than legal ones, this isn't just my opinion, even Richard Branson stood up in front of the American congress recently and stated that fact - amongst others. As with everything in life, moderation is the key.
Prohibition doesn't work, we are all able to make informed choices with the information that is freely available and more accessible than ever before.
"Now, Humberside Police is appealing for East Riding communities to help them catch the dealers pushing the drugs on to young people before someone takes an overdose"
Here we go again, drug 'pushers' eh? Not in my lifetime. Supply on demand is the key fact here and it's been conveniently omitted. Some people obviously want to use illegal drugs and they do. The government want you to believe that by buying illegal drugs you are funding serious crime. Well it is my opinion that by buying legal drugs you are funding war and corruption. What's the difference?”
by cazmarelda
Monday, May 28 2012, 3:19PM
“A properly resourced youth centre is valuable to the community. Young people are given the opportunity to explore boundaries in a safe place. There are many board games and computer games around drugs that give young people the skills and knowledge to make informed choices. These games when properly facilitated by experience youth workers in an informal setting are of more value then any amount of formal education. Many young people are unaware of the dangers of drugs and much of the information they have is heavily influenced by myths. It is the job of youth workers to socially educate young people...there is no-one else to do this. A good youth worker can with the proper resources support young people through the often difficult stages of 'growing up'. I know there are swimming pools, cinema and the like but they are just leisure facilities in a youth club a young person can access those facilities and others while at the same time being in an environment where youth workers care about their social and moral development. Sadly, there are now too few youth centres...without them we are failing our young people.”