The evening of Friday 28th March saw officers from South Wales Police carry out drug testing at The Buccaneer pub in Barry. This initiative was in partnership with the licensee of The Buccaneer and the Safer Vale Partnership team from Barry Police Station.
A state of the art drug itemiser machine was used to carry out the tests by swabbing clients hands prior to entry to The Buccaneer. Over 100 patrons were tested as a condition of entry into the pub. This involved patrons having their hands swabbed with a piece of paper which was then fed into the machine. From the swab the machine could then detect any illegal substance and the level of that drug found on the swab.
Inspector Paul Tinkler said “This series of operations shows the commitment of South Wales Police with its partners to tackle all forms of criminality. Owing to this joined approach we have seen reductions in both violence crime and alcohol related incidents. Through partnership working South Wales Police are committed to help make the Vale of Glamorgan as safe as possible for residents and visitors to the area.”
Sean Barnsley, Supervisor at The Buccaneer, confirmed that the operation was a great success “We have a zero tolerance to drugs and it was a great opportunity to demonstrate to all of our customers that we are dedicated to providing a safe and trouble free environment for our customers.”
PC Dave Barrett, Police Licensing Officer, further endorsed the initiative saying “It was a great opportunity to work in partnership with the licensed trade. This operation is an excellent illustration of the partnership approach South Wales Police has nurtured between themselves and the night time economy.”
The operation was supported by Welsh Government substance misuse.
