Police force criticised for ‘grotesque’ and ‘stigmatising’ social media poem mocking drugs arrest suspects

A police force has been accused of fuelling stigma and prejudice after it posted a poem on its social media channels mocking people arrested on suspicion of apparently low-level drug dealing.

The posts, part of a wider emerging trend of some forces publicly shaming arrestees, were criticised as showing an apparent lack of understanding of the trauma and exploitation such individuals often face, with one drugs death prevention expert saying: “These attitudes cost lives.”

Cambridgeshire Constabulary shared the six-stanza poem to its official Twitter page last Wednesday with the caption: “If you're in need of some festive laughs, our Facebook poem doesn't do things by halves”, followed by a laughing emoji.

The poem described neighbourhood support officers watching “with glee” as a “drug addict” purchased drugs, before “jumping on” the alleged dealer and following him to his home to strip search him, where they found another individual sitting in bed next to wraps of heroin and cocaine, and £2,000 in cash.

It continued: “The suspected drug dealer, fought and was dumb, as the grown man cried and blubbed for his Mum”, before stating that the two men were both charged, concluding that, “if you are naughty”, the Neighbourhood Support Team “will catch you, to send you to jail”. 

The post – hashtagged with the phrases “wet wipe” and “mummy’s boy” – has garnered hundreds of likes on Facebook, but has faced widespread criticism among drug policy experts and other law enforcement agents.

“The crass ‘poem’ shows no understanding at all of the situation they’re describing,” Neil Woods, an undercover drugs detective of 14 years told The Independent. “Most problematic heroin users, or ‘addicts’ as the poem calls them, are self medicating for child trauma. There is a wealth of academic evidence to that effect. 

“Most dealers at that level are problematic users, or young adults being exploited, either by blackmail, grooming or other threats or intimidation. The ‘poem’ completely disregards this reality that they as police should be well aware of. Instead of showing understanding to a vulnerable part of our community they mock and add to stigma for those people that should be cared for.”

“As a former drugs investigator myself I’m appalled that they clearly don’t know what’s going on,” said Mr Woods, who has written multiple books on drugs policing, adding: “The post has brought out the worst prejudice on some social media sites, it having been shared widely. 

“Police should be leading on trauma awareness and reducing stigma, not inciting the worst elements in our society to vent their misunderstanding and hatred towards people who need help.”

Also pointing out that those forced to sell drugs at street level are often the most vulnerable, Jason Reed, executive director of LEAP UK – an anti-drugs war coalition of law enforcement figures, of which Mr Woods is also a board member – suggested that “to make light of this is severely misguided and actually creates a barrier between the police service and those in which it is tasked to help”.  

“As the country progresses with how it views drug policy, as a health issue and focus on saving lives given that we’re at an all-time high for drug related deaths, to make a post creating further dividing lines in society is in ill taste,” Mr Reed said.

In a statement given to The Independent, a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said that it recognised “some individuals did not believe that the tone of this post was in good taste and we apologise for any offence caused”.

Among those who said they had complained to Cambridgeshire – including Mr Woods – was Kirsten Horsburgh, who is strategy coordinator for drug death prevention with the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF).

“It's not often I allow social media posts to enrage me, but this grotesque ‘poem’ from Cambridgeshire [Constabulary] prompted me to put in a complaint,” she wrote on Twitter, denouncing a response she had received from the force as “pathetic”.

In its reply, the constabulary told Ms Horsburgh that she was unable to lodge a complaint as she was “not directly involved” in the incident, adding: “The idea of the post is to de-glamorise drug dealing and get that message across to young people. We do apologise if this post has caused any offence, however it has attracted a huge amount of public support.”

But Ms Horsburgh rejected the idea that the post was a success “because it has reflected public prejudice”.

“It’s one of the most shocking examples of a public service perpetuating stigma we’ve seen in some time,” Ms Horsburgh told The Independent. “I had to check it wasn’t a parody account when I first saw it from other outraged harm reduction advocates.

“The language in the ‘poem’ is utterly shameful and highly offensive, mocking vulnerable and marginalised people in this way and then deeming it a success because it has reflected public prejudice. You only have to scan through the facebook comments to see how the post incited hatred.

She added: “Cambridge Police are completely out of touch in this area, although there will undoubtedly be officers within the service that are just as embarrassed and angered by this as police are from elsewhere who have noted their disgust.”

It comes as police forces, treatment services and other advocates are scrambling to stem a drugs deaths crisis, with fatalities having risen for eight consecutive years. 

With a decade marked by austerity, a shift to localised funding and a government drugs strategy accused of promoting abstinence at the expense of harm reduction having provided the backdrop to an exodus from treatment services, there has been a renewed emphasis on encouraging problematic drug users back into the protective fold of treatment.

“Stigma kills because it silences people and stops them from accessing the help they need. Language matters because it affects the way people see themselves and the treatment they receive,” Ms Horsburgh said, pointing to SDF’s glossary of contested terms in substance use.

“We hope that Cambridge Police will reflect on this and rethink their approach, despite their dismissive email response to the complaints,” she added.

In its statement, the police force said it is “committed to protecting vulnerable people and reducing harm in our communities.

“The pursuit of those who deal drugs, exploit others, and harm our communities is a priority for the force. We are also committed to sharing the results of this work to our residents via social media.  

"In this instance our officers used humour to demonstrate the consequences of drug dealing and to combat the false narrative that drug dealing is glamourous or exciting.  We recognise that some individuals did not believe that the tone of this post was in good taste and we apologise for any offence caused. 

“We will review guidance given to our officers to try to ensure that we don’t offend people in future posts while remaining committed to our core mission of fighting crime and reassuring the public.”

“We are fully aware that there are people involved in the drugs trade who are being exploited.  We work closely with partners and support agencies to ensure those who are vulnerable get the support they need. In these circumstances we will look to pursue those exploiting these individuals, and treat those who are vulnerable as victims not criminals.

“We have responded to anyone who has made a complaint and reviewed all of the feedback we have received to inform future online activity.”