Newark and Sherwood Neighbourhood Policing team joined forces with Newark and Sherwood District Council on Saturday (4 March) to raise awareness about the dangers of cocaethylene.
Heading into Newark town centre officers alongside the district council’s public protection team ventured into clubs, pubs, and other licensed venues to highlight the devastating circumstances of mixing alcohol and cocaine.
Since last year officers have been working alongside the council and with the help of government Safer Streets funding secured by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the teams have joined forces to educate communities on the dangers of drug use.
Alongside various enforcement operations, warrants, patrols, acting on drug-related intelligence, and dealing with the aftermath of assaults and damage caused by those suspected of mixing cocaine and alcohol – officers have been trying to raise awareness of the issue to prevent crimes before they’ve even happened.
The teams handed out educational leaflets, spread the word about the dangers of mixing the substances, and also invited the community to fill out a questionnaire about their knowledge of the severe consequences of taking both substances.
Cocaethylene is a dangerous chemical our bodies create when alcohol and cocaine are taken together.
This can have dangerous effects including:
- An increase in violent and impulsive behaviours
- An increased chance of seizures, heart attacks, strokes, and liver damage
- Sudden death – death is 20 times more likely when mixing alcohol and cocaine than when using cocaine alone
- A decrease in sexual performance.
It follows another successful action night in December 2022, which saw over 250 educational leaflets handed out and 60 people agreeing to take part in a questionnaire – with 90% admitting a lack of knowledge surrounding the increased dangers of cocaethylene.
Inspector Matthew Ward, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “Working together with the council on these nights of action is so important to highlight the dangers of drug use, the devastating consequences they can have on someone and hopefully make people think twice about mixing cocaine and alcohol.
“We are taking action against drug dealers daily, in a variety of different ways. But it is equally important to educate those using cocaine and alcohol with the knowledge of its effects.
“As well as speaking with those enjoying our night-time economy, we are working with licensed premises and handing out posters and leaflets alongside outreach workers from drugs services.
“As police officers, we have first-hand experience of dealing with the effects of drugs on people and the wider community, so working with our partners and managers of venues is incredibly important.
“It’s great that thanks to our other nights of action awareness has increased relating to the dangers of drug use.
“Being a police officer isn’t just about arresting people or picking up the pieces after an incident – it’s so important for us to also educate people and help them, which is why nights like this are so important so we can try and prevent the crimes before they’ve even happened.”
The recent nights of action were organised as part of the Safer Streets scheme, in which Newark and Nottinghamshire Police, Sherwood District Council, and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are working in partnership to tackle neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour and prevent violence against women and girls.
The Safer Streets project has also recently funded brand new security gating at St Mark’s Place and new doorway security at Queen’s Court, tithe Barn, and Lover’s Lane.
Councillor Roger Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “These Nights of Action are a great example of how important it is to raise awareness of the dangers of drug use, and I’m pleased to see that there was an increase in the awareness of these dangers since the previous event.
“Cocaethylene is not only harmful to the individuals drinking and using cocaine together but can also put those around them at risk. We work hard to help residents feel safe in our community and being educated about the dangerous and harmful consequences of Cocaethylene is one of the ways we can ensure that.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, who went out to support the event in Newark, added: “It was great to see people enjoying a night out in Newark and people really seemed to take the message on board.
“We want our towns and cities to be safe places for all, and partnership events like this show just how seriously we all take public safety. By raising awareness of Cocaethylene we hope to help reduce violence and other harms it can cause.”
