Area commander says he was ‘taken aback’ by value of drugs seizure

Stock image of a sign at a police station.

Shetland’s new chief police officer says he will endeavour to tackle the illegal drugs trade.

Area commander Paul Daley spoke after a “fairly significant” seizure of heroin worth £135,000.

He said that was “indicative” of what was potentially circulating in the area.

“That is something we will be looking at going forward during my tenure here,” he told members of the community safety and resilience board.

“I was quite taken aback when I heard the level of recovery.”

He highlighted the “excellent” work of Dogs Against Drugs, which itself had helped recover drugs worth around £150,000 over the last year.

“The Dogs Against Drugs partnership with the police is long-standing,” he said.

“That is a strong relationship that I want to continue.”

Shetland South councillor Allison Duncan said it was interesting to note the value of illicit substances recovered by Dogs Against Drugs.

“You mentioned there £150,000. Here we have £135,000 just in one go.”