Breaking the Cycle: Why Tough Rhetoric Won't Solve Crime and Drug Issues

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell where the gaps are between our major political parties, and as far as major crime is concerned, 

there isn’t one, in their exciting race to the bottom. Rhetoric about ‘gang busting’ and ‘smashing organised crime’ whether 

it be drug importation, people trafficking or small boats trawling across the English channel is the order of the day. Are we all 

still really that gullible?

Both parties are completely content to talk absolute nonsense and pretend they have a solution, when in actual fact 

everything they suggest about getting tougher, more proactive and increasing enforcement simply feeds the fire and does 

nothing to address the growing demand. There is no global or even local drug problem, only a glaring failure in drug policy, 

together with every other form of prohibition

.

These people, our leaders in actual fact, know absolutely nothing about these issues and yet we continue to allow them to 

make decisions, spend millions of pounds and create black illicit market places where criminals, gangsters and ruthless 

opportunists devise ways of exploiting the opportunity afforded them.

For easy unthinking votes, tough talk, blatant lies and illogical rhetoric replace meaningful thinking and action, and 

unfortunately leaves droves of desperate vulnerable families and communities to be exploited and decimated. Which is 

exactly what happens and what will always happen when we try to arrest ourselves out of a situation.

We deserve and need a more nuanced approach. One where we tap into expertise and common purpose and create an 

environment where we can employ some joined up thinking, not just with each other but at least across the continent.

It seems that 53 years of failed drug policy and enforcement has taught our politicians nothing whatsoever, but perhaps 

we get what we deserve in that department for not holding them to account.

The obvious truth is that when we make bad laws that create an illicit market, whether that be tobacco, alcohol 

 or drugs, the worst among us will exploit the opportunity afforded them by providing an illegal supply. It’s 

surely no longer enough to just ignore this fact, especially in an age when we no longer have enough police officers to carry 

out the most basic of functions on our streets.