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Police rap for reporter who exposed drugs menace

Journalist Victoria Tagg was given a dressing down by the police when she handed in £40-worth of crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis she bought during an investigation for the Swindon Evening Advertiser.

Officers labelled her “irresponsible” and she was told she might have ended up with a night in the cells.

Victoria managed to buy crack, heroin and cannabis in the town centre, while shoppers, including children on their school holidays, sat out in the sun nearby.

The 23-year-old trainee reporter was sent into the town centre with a shopping list of hard drugs and cannabis. She managed to buy all three in the space of a busy Friday lunch hour.

Armed with a few £5 notes she approached people and asked them if they knew where she could “score”.

She first secured a pouch of “weed” for £10.

Then no one batted an eyelid that our reporter was buying crack in broad daylight. £15 secured her a grit-sized piece of crack wrapped in foil.

Finally, walking back to the shopping centre, she turned her attention to heroin and bought her £15 round outside a pub.

She had blown £40 on illegal, life-threatening drugs – then handed them in to police. Later, she was summoned back to the station, not for a debriefing or a chat, but for a dressing down.

Editor Simon O’Neill said, in an editorial to go with the story, that the truth might hurt, but it still had to be told.

He said: “Victoria was called irresponsible and told that officers had every right to put her in the cells overnight. She was told she could have been arrested for possessing drugs and could have ended up in front of magistrates.

“We would like to apologise today for upsetting the police.

“We are very sorry that we have managed to find, in a matter of just one hour, people willing to sell us hard drugs in a shopping centre busy bustling with families enjoying the lunchtime sunshine.

“We are very sorry if we have exposed a deadly trade that the police seem to know everything about but appear incapable of stopping.

“And we are very sorry if we have embarrassed senior detectives who will now no doubt be expecting a pile of letters from concerned parents demanding to know why this blatant trade is being allowed to continue.”

He added that the newspaper and its staff realised that Swindon Police had a thankless task – and supported its policy of tackling drug-related crime and working with drug agencies that offer support.

But he said the police also owed it to the people of Swindon to act to stamp out the “evil trade”.

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