THE officer with local responsibility for front- line policing in Whitehill and Bordon has stated the town does not have a drug problem. Whitehill and Bordon beat manager Pc David West was responding to questions about the extent of drug-taking in the community after two "crack houses" were shut down within a week under new police powers. Pc West replied: "Bordon does not have a drug problem. This is new legislation to tackle anti- social behaviour, which we are using to great effect." Crack House Closure Orders, granted by magistrates, were served on a downstairs flat in Atholl Road, Whitehill, on Thursday, December 14, and a two-bedroom house in Blue Timbers Close, Bordon, on Tuesday, December 19. The orders were sought after complaints from neighbours, and granted after officers gathered evidence that several people had been taking heroin (a Class A drug, the most serious category) at both properties. The closure orders prevent anyone entering the buildings for one and three months respectively without permission, although the police can apply to have an order extended if necessary. Pc West confirmed that there are no further closure orders waiting to be served in the town. But he added that the police and their partners in the Community Safety Initiative (including the district council and housing associations) would investigate any information passed to them by residents regarding anti-social behaviour.
