June 27, 2016 2.26 pm This story is over 92 months old

Watch: Officers arrest man and woman in Lincoln legal highs drug raid

The officers behind a so-called ‘legal highs’ raid in Lincoln have said that new powers given to them by government have enabled them to tackle the problem more effectively. As reported earlier, a man and woman were arrested on suspicion of supplying legal highs following a raid at a property on Archer Street in Lincoln. Officers…

The officers behind a so-called ‘legal highs’ raid in Lincoln have said that new powers given to them by government have enabled them to tackle the problem more effectively.

As reported earlier, a man and woman were arrested on suspicion of supplying legal highs following a raid at a property on Archer Street in Lincoln.

Officers entered the first floor flat at around 10.30am on Monday, June 27.

Police are continuing to search the area while the two arrested are being questioned.

A ban on the production, supply and importation of legal highs was rolled out across England and Wales on May 26, banning “any substance intended for human consumption that is capable of producing a psychoactive effect.”

Lincoln was the first city in the UK to crack down on this problem, when a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) was introduced on April 1, 2015, banning people from taking legal highs in the city centre.

Since then, hundreds of breaches have been recorded by City of Lincoln Council and a number of people have been prosecuted.

Paula Gowler, Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant for the North East of Lincoln said: “We are pleased now that we have powers to tackle this issue.

“These drugs have a dangerous effect because the problem is we don’t know what are in these items and what chemicals are in them.

“I think because of the effect these substances have on their bodies, it causes some public concern.

“We are now able to tackle the suppliers, which are the people we need to deal with.”