Newark and Sherwood District Council and Nottinghamshire Police kick-start anti-social behaviour awareness week with Operation Cognition night of action

A night of action has highlighted the violent and impulsive behaviour mixing drugs and drink can cause, ahead of anti-social behaviour awareness week.

In partnership with Nottinghamshire Police, Newark and Sherwood District Council used the latest night of action, on Friday, November 15, to raise awareness of the dangers of mixing alcohol with drug use.

It kick-started anti-social behaviour week, which takes place between Monday, November 18, and Sunday, November 24.

Officers from the council’s public protection team worked with police colleagues in Newark town centre, to speak to visitors, hand out leaflets, and put up informational posters in licensed properties during the evening as part of Operation Cognition.

The main aim of the night of action was to educate residents and visitors to Newark Town centre of the dangers of mixing cocaine and alcohol.

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “Mixing drink and drugs causes nothing but trouble for communities, usually in the form of anti-social behaviour and on occasion street violence too, which clearly we don’t want to see in Newark and Sherwood.

“This long-term operation, completed in partnership with Newark and Sherwood District Council, is all about awareness — we want people to say that they have heard of cocaethylene.

“It is an unfortunate reality that reasonably healthy people are experiencing health complications or become involved with aggressive and violent behaviour as a result of combining alcohol and cocaine.

“We can prevent this, and protect partners who can be subjected to abuse, by raising awareness and ultimately reducing the prevalence of cocaethylene through nights of action like this one.”

When combined with alcohol the risk of sudden death is 20 times more likely than when using cocaine alone.

This potentially lethal combination can have other dangerous effects, including an increase in violent and impulsive behaviours, an increased chance of seizures, heart attacks, and strokes, and liver damage.

Officers also visited various pubs and bars in the town to undertake licensing checks to ensure businesses were operating in the appropriate way.

Paul Taylor, portfolio holder for public protection and community relations, said: “Nights of action allow us to contact people in our community who may not see our other ways of messaging. The night time economy is so important in our district, but equally, those who enjoy a good night out are potentially most at risk.

“We want everyone to enjoy our towns safely, but there are dangers out there we need to make people aware of. Many people simply don’t realise that when they mix cocaine with alcohol for example, our own bodies produce cocaethylene. It’s a dangerous chemical which changes people’s behaviour and can cause lasting physical damage or even sudden death.

“Anything we can do as a district council to raise awareness of this issue and potentially save lives is essential. We’re also running several programmes for anti-social behaviour awareness week as our teams will be out and about speaking to our residents about the harm anti-social behaviour can do to our communities.”

Jean Hall, chairman of the licensing committee, added: “Clearly, we don’t want people to stop having a good time, but, let’s be clear, the effects of mixing drugs and alcohol on a night out can be devastating — and they can be life-changing, not just for the person taking them but for their friends, family and even by-standers.

“I am really heartened by how well our message has been received. I’d like to thank everyone involved in this initiative including the many licensed pubs and bars we visited who were extremely welcoming.”

As part of the awareness week, Newark and Sherwood District Council officers will be out in communities raising awareness of anti-social behaviour — including visits to schools to talk to students, at a market stall in Newark Town Centre on Wednesday, November 20, between 10am until 12 noon, and sharing victims’ stories on social media.