KEIGHLEY residents can make a real difference in the fight against drug crime without having to worry about potential reprisals.

This was the message voiced at two public meetings staged near the town centre this morning (Jan 20) and earlier this afternoon, as part of the Clean Up Our Town anti drug-dealing campaign.

A spokesman for independent charity Crimestoppers, police officers, and Keighley MP Kris Hopkins were among the speakers at the meetings in Central Hall, Alice Street.

Gemma Wilson, regional manager for Crimestoppers in Yorkshire and the Humber, stressed the complete anonymity afforded to everyone who contacts the charity to report crimes.

"£326 million pounds worth of illegal drugs has been seized from streets in the UK as a result of information given to Crimestoppers," she added.

"Taking one or two drug dealers out of a community can make such a positive impact on that area, with other crime rates also going down as a result."

Speaking to people attending the afternoon meeting, Mr Hopkins said the minority who deal drugs needed to be sent an uncompromising message.

"We've got a small group of people who are making the lives of lots of people in Keighley miserable," he said.

"These cowards are using youngsters aged 10, 12 and 13 to help them make a profit. What's really important is that we give the public the confidence to speak out and to make use of Crimestoppers."

Responding to the concerns of two women who spoke at the afternoon meeting about persistent drug dealing in their neighbourhoods, police constable Ben Ashton said the police do care about the problem and are working hard to tackle it.

He said the police would look into the residents' concerns, noting that complaints about repeated instances of drug dealing are taken into account when officers decide when and where to patrol.

"Investigations into drug dealing may seem simple from the outside but there are burdens of proof that we have to go by to show that someone is committing an offence," he said.

"Our number one priority is to keep people safe. We do have to prioritise the calls we receive and ask 'is there a threat to anyone?', 'is harm going to be caused to anyone?', or 'what is the risk if we don't take action?'

"Sometimes a specific person might already be one of our targets, so if we immediately act on information against them this could jeopardise an ongoing investigation."

Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111. People can also go to crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online/ to provide details about criminal offences online.