Figures from Tayside Police, revealed in a freedom of information request by the Review, shows that, between May 1, 2007 and April 30 this year, 114 crimes relating specifically to drugs were recorded in the locus of Montrose.

That number represents 24.4% of all drug crime in the county, as between the same period, the police recorded 467 drug crimes in its entire Eastern Division.

Of the crimes recorded in Montrose, 83 related to the possession of drugs, 10 to possession with intent to supply drugs, 19 concerned the unlawful supply of controlled drugs and two to supply or offer to supply a controlled drug.

Of those crimes, 104 or 91% are recorded as having an accused detected, comparing to 96% for the whole division.

Montrose inspector Iain Wales, who in his previous post spent two years as head of Tayside Police's drugs squad, welcomed the findings, saying they show that officers are acting on any information received about illegal drugs.

He said: "What this shows is that if we get intelligence on drug dealing we deal with it.

"I came from the head of the drugs branch and Montrose doesn't concern me any more than any other town. I'm not saying it doesn't have a problem, but it's no worse than anywhere else.

"For example, Arbroath is bigger than Montrose and is going to have more (drug crimes] than Montrose. So these figures are not really a worry. I'd be worried if they were lower."

But he said the figures required clarification, as in many cases more than one crime can be recorded from the same incident.

He said: "If, for example, you get someone who has half a kilo of heroin, that's a supply quantity. They are charged with possession as well as possession with intent to supply. If they're supplying, that can also be recorded, so three crimes can come from that one incident."
One thing the figures don't clearly show is how widespread drugs are in Montrose and Inspector Wales admitted it was impossible to know that to any degree of accuracy.

But he urged the public to pass on any information to the police to help them continue their war on drugs.

"Primarily, it's intelligence led and if we have intelligence we will do our utmost to follow that up. These figures show that. But we need the public's help. It's okay for people to know what's going on but if they don't pass it on to us how are we to know?

"Often a tiny piece of intelligence, which might seem a bit trivial to some, could be the last piece in the jigsaw for us.

"I can understand people being nervous about it, but I can certainly give assurances that the information supplied to us is kept strictly confidential.

"But if anyone is worried about the police they should pass their information to Crimestoppers anonymously, as they don't pass us any personal details, even if we were to ask."

Ultimately, he said, the best way to tackle drugs is to remove the market for it, and he said that can be best achieved through education and rehabilitation programmes, as well as through effective policing.

A particular issue to be addressed was under-age drinking, which he said often proved to be a lead-on to illegal substances, and he welcomed Scottish Government proposals to introduce an increased age limit for off-license sales.

If you would like to speak to the police about drugs, or would like to report something, you can contact them on 0845 600 5705, while Crimestoppers can be reached on 0800 555 111 if you would like to report something anonymously.

For more information about drugs and their effects, you can talk to Frank on 0800 77 66 00.