VIOLENT drug dealers are the target of a new police awareness campaign being launched in Rugby.
Crimestoppers is launching Break Your Silence to raise awareness of how violence related to drugs can destroy communities.
The campaign, also launching in Nuneaton, will see hard hitting images put up on phone boxes around town to encourage the public to report violent dealers.
A spokesman for the independent crime-fighting charity said there had been a small increase in acts of violence across Warwickshire, with slightly bigger spikes in Rugby and Nuneaton.
He said the new campaign was a way of checking with the public to see if this rise is linked to drug sales or possession, adding that they received useful information from the public last year relating to drugs, possession of weapons and assaults across the county.
And Pauline Hadley, regional manager for Crimestoppers, added: “It is good news that 500 people contacted us about drugs and violence last year. Drug related violence is a blight on our community that we need to stop. so we want even more people to contact us this year.
“I’d ask anyone who may have information on those who know who the violent drug dealers are to ‘Break Their Silence’ and contact Crimestoppers by phone or online with guaranteed anonymity on 0800 555 111. If you have any information, no matter how small, you can be safe in the knowledge that nobody will know you spoke to us.”
As part of the campaign, messaging will also be spread across social media in the targeted areas with the aim of bringing down the number of offences.
Contact Crimestoppers anonymously via www.crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.
