Police to crack down on Pusher Street

[esbe]

http://m.jyllands-posten.dk/uknews/article4813273.ece

Police to crack down on Pusher Street

by Christian Wenande

A new tactical squad has been set up to tackle the illegal drug trade and escalating violence in Christiania It’s been a bountiful summer for the hash dealers operating in Copenhagen’s premier tourist attraction. The police presence...
by Christian Wenande

A new tactical squad has been set up to tackle the illegal drug trade and escalating violence in Christiania

It’s been a bountiful summer for the hash dealers operating in Copenhagen’s premier tourist attraction. The police presence in Christiania was been virtually non-existent and hash dealers have been left alone in their stalls to sell their oft-coveted goods.

But starting September 1, the police will be stepping up efforts to cull Pusher Street’s estimated one billion kroner organised cannabis trade through the creation of a new task force. Police inspector Svend Foldager of the Copenhagen Police said that the public can expect raids in the near future, but emphasised the need for sensitivity.

“There will be an increased police presence outside and at times inside Pusher Street. I can guarantee that more raids will be in the pipeline,” Foldager told Politiken newspaper. “But, it’s important to point out that our efforts are concentrated on Pusher Street and not Christiania. We’re focusing on the illicit organised drug trade in the area.”

Foldager wouldn’t reveal the number of officers involved in the task force nor would he comment on whether the police would attempt to bulldoze Pusher Street as they did in 2004. And although the police believe that the Hells Angels gang is controlling the illegal trade in the area, the road ahead won’t be an easy one.

“Pusher Street has held our interest for many years and as a result we have a good idea which actors are involved,” Foldager told Politiken. “But there is a long way to got between knowing who is involved and proving their crimes.”

The prospective police escalation in the area comes at a critical time. Christiania is in the process of buying itself from the state after securing a 55 million kroner loan from mortgage bank Realkredit Danmark, the first instalment of the total 76 million kroner required.

But the lack of a police presence in the area over the summer has seen a sharp increase in violence and has threatened to scupper the deal. Criminals have begun using Christiania as a safe haven and high-profile attacks on parking attendants and a journalist have forced the authorities to react.

In May, a proposal by the city council aimed at legalising cannabis was rejected by the Justice Ministry. The council argued that the traditional police efforts have never worked and that state-run hash and marijuana dispensaries would be a significant step in crippling the flourishing illegitimate drug trade.

Past police efforts in Christiania have failed to curtail the illegal drug trade, and renewed police efforts in Christiania are also going against current public sentiment.

A recent metroXpress newspaper poll indicated that nearly 65 percent of the public supported state-controlled cannabis distribution, while Enhedslisten (EL) commissioned a Gallop survey in early August that conveyed that, out of 1,000 people asked, 53 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the state should take over the sale of cannabis. Only 25 percent disagreed while 22 percent remained neutral.

Copenhagen's deputy mayor for social affairs, Mikkel Warming (EL), has argued that the legalisation of cannabis is the only solution to the dilemma.

“The prohibitive policies we have operated under in Denmark for so many years have not worked," Warming told public broadcaster DR. “You can still buy hash on street corners across the city, which also means the hash is mixed up with other harder drugs.”

 

[gaiusmarius]

thanks for sharing, would be another piece of historic freedom lost to see the hash market attacked for the Danish

 

[supermanlives]

pusher street LOL perfect name. we need to name streets that way here. wheres cocaine street officer ?LOL crack and whore street should cross for the confused

 

[esbe]

yeah, it looks like this and has been a part of christiania since 71

http://maps.google.dk/maps?q=pusher...pn=0.004144,0.013078&hq=pusherstreet&t=m&z=17

http://www.momondo.dk/blogs/momondo/archive/2008/11/20/christinia-much-more-than-pusher-street.aspx

 

[Dkgrower]

BOM SHIVA, even tho the guys running the street is not u local hippy it still is worth protecting

Hey ESBE how is life brother, lets hook up when winter comes i be back in CPH

Btw the last pic is a RIP piece off 1 off the local boys that was shoot

 

[ASPD]

This is sad, but it's not their first attempt nor their last. Pusher street can't be stopped!

 

[RetroGrow]

Looks like pigs are the same everywhere.

 

[castout]

How come all the GOVT's that war against MJ, don't put as much effort into warring against cancer, AIDS, hunger, hate, infant mortality, etc...if as much of an effort was put into these problems as they do eradicating mj, this would be a much KINDer world!!!!

 

[Puffovic]

So sad, Christiania is such a sweet place.. But there's just to much money behind the business so it will never be stopped.

 

[headband 707]

How come all the GOVT's that war against MJ, don't put as much effort into warring against cancer, AIDS, hunger, hate, infant mortality, etc...if as much of an effort was put into these problems as they do eradicating mj, this would be a much KINDer world!!!!

NO Kidding I agree why can't we put as much effort helping as we do fighting and trying to hold ppl down for NO GOOD REASON! ffs. This shit does get old fast. What did they think was going to happen they told the ppl to stop smoking hash/cannabis and everyone was going to listen? Yeah right.. good luck with that.. lol headband 707

 

[RetroGrow]

How come all the GOVT's that war against MJ, don't put as much effort into warring against cancer, AIDS, hunger, hate, infant mortality, etc...if as much of an effort was put into these problems as they do eradicating mj, this would be a much KINDer world!!!!

NO Kidding I agree why can't we put as much effort helping as we do fighting and trying to hold ppl down for NO GOOD REASON! ffs. This shit does get old fast. What did they think was going to happen they told the ppl to stop smoking hash/cannabis and everyone was going to listen? Yeah right.. good luck with that.. lol headband 707

Well, because then all those good folks at the DEA, FBI, CIA, wardens, guards, and all the pigs who are hunting us would be out of jobs. Not to mention the members of congress who take bribes from big pharma, and our crooked president, and big pharma itself. They don't want anyone to have any medicine unless they get a cut of the action. They could care less about doing the right thing.

 

[Chamba]

Wasn't it all love, peace and hippies there for decades, then in recent years when the quantities got bigger, organized crime moved in bringing with them violence?

In one way we should be grateful for the thugs as their actions might just be the catalyst that brings about a positive change. With government run cannabis shops (or better still, Dutch style coffee shops), the scum bags and gangsters will lose their profits.

Who knows?...maybe CPH will become the new Amsterdam?

 

[gaiusmarius]

you have a point Chamba, but remember a lot of that shit is propaganda. also they have been cracking down sporadically and busting whole supply chains run by the local hippy types, leading to worse classes of criminals to take over. they make things worse by their actions and are surprised when it's no longer normal locals running things but organized crime. by making the laws sharper and implementing harsher regulations you are forcing the other side to adapt and start using criminal tactics to stay out of the states sights.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

you have a point Chamba, but remember a lot of that shit is propaganda. also they have been cracking down sporadically and busting whole supply chains run by the local hippy types, leading to worse classes of criminals to take over.

^^^ This..
I remember in 04 or 05 maybe, they busted pusher street and got rid of all the crusties living in trailers...There was a thread about it then, they fucked the hippies off, and the bikers and north african gangs took over.

 

[gaiusmarius]

makes you wonder if they were bribed 1, or if they are involved in drug imports on the highest levels 2, or they are just plain but stupid and think no further then most politicians about the logical consequences of their actions 3?

 

[vta]

makes you wonder if they were bribed 1, or if they are involved in drug imports on the highest levels 2, or they are just plain but stupid and think no further then most politicians about the logical consequences of their actions 3?

or, all of the above 4