Plainclothes officers use duckfeeding as cover in Brighton park drugs sting

Undercover officers posing as bird lovers feeding the ducks arrested a teenager as part of an operation to tackle drug dealing in Queens Park last week.

Patrols have been stepped up around the park after worried parents reported finding syringes in the park, including the playground toilets and around the tennis courts.

And a public meeting is due to be held next Wednesday to address concerns about drug use and dealing in the park.

Whilst u thought we were normal ppl feeding birds we were on point looking 4 dealing… 1 in custody 4 drug offences 😎😉🚔👮 #guesswho #CS646

— Brighton&Hove Police (@BtonHovePolice) October 4, 2017

Johnny Webb from the Friends of Queens Park said: “It feels like we are being listened to. People have been talking about these issues for a long time and finally the police have said we need to do something about this.

“Now we need to work out what we all need to do to come together and make something change in the park.

“We didn’t do the summer events this year, instead we concentrated on looking for money and resources to improve the park. We are just about to finish the conservation management plan with the council.

“It’s a first step to accessing grants from people like Veolia, Sport England, the Heritage Lottery Fund – it’s the key to unlocking everything.

“We are now about to consult on what the community wants us to focus our limited resources on.

“It’s a beautiful park and it feels like we are in quite a good place – the council and police are recognising that we need some help.”

A police spokeswoman said: “A man was arrested by officers in Queens Park in Brighton at 12.15pm on October 4.

“A 17-year-old boy was charged with possession of cannabis and will appear at Worthing Youth Court on October 19.”

The meeting, which is facilitated by ward councillors Adrian Morris, Karen Barford and Dan Chapman, will be held at the QUeens Park Tennis Pavilion next Wednesday at 6pm.