KEIGHLEY'S new police inspector has been told teenagers as young as 15 are being used to deal drugs in the town.

The claim was made at a special public police forum where it was also said dealers were using containers from Kinder Egg sweets to transport and conceal drugs.

Speaking after the meeting, Inspector Khalid Khan praised what he described as a "caring" community and pledged to take action to address people's fears.

"When we come after these dealers we will be going for them very, very hard," he said.

"Drugs are very much at the forefront of those local concerns we're investigating. Since I've been here, in the last three months we've executed six drugs warrants at various properties where we've made arrests and recovered cash and drugs.

"The community is fed up with this problem and it is coming forward to tell us about it. We're listening carefully to what the public are saying and we are acting on what they tell us."

Insp Khan stressed that despite well publicised police raids on cannabis farms in the town, that specific issue was no more prevalent than in other towns.

He said his officers were visiting schools to discourage children from emulating what they see as the "flashy" drug dealer lifestyle.

"We're making sure we're getting across the message that these influential role models are bad role models," he added.

"I also want to ensure parents take ownership of their children.

"They need to know where their children are, and if their children suddenly have a lot of money asking them where that money has come from."

Insp Khan said he was committed to maintaining a highly visible neighbourhood police presence, despite limitations on resources.

"We've lost quite a number of Police Community Support Officers for a variety of reasons, but it's very important for me that the PCSOs we do have are out and about, are visible and are speaking to people," he said.

Keighley town mayor Councillor Shabir Ahmed urged people to continue to report to police any information they have about drug dealers.

"I welcome the efforts of Inspector Khan and his team to tackle drug crime in our town," he said.

"Unfortunately this type of crime isn't just affecting our town – it's a problem throughout the country.

"But it's reassuring to hear the commitment of our inspector to go after the drug dealers who are bringing misery to those affected.

"I'd echo the appeal of the police and urge the community to help officers by reporting any crime happening in their neighbourhoods.

"It is important to not just have police visibility in our town, but also to have a police station in Keighley."

Councillor Zafar Ali (Con, Keighley Central) said getting parents to take responsibility for their children was key to minimising the drugs scourge.

"Drugs have tarnished Keighley and tarnished our community," he said.

"I can't understand how children aged 13 or 14 can be out of their homes at eight or nine o'clock at night and their parents aren't asking them where they've been.

"And why aren't parents asking their older children how they can afford a £30,000 car when they don't have a job?

"This is too big for official agencies to handle alone. You can't have a police officer on every corner."

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