The illegal drugs trade in Britain is a £16 billion criminal industry, which has affected many people. Now the Wycombe District Neighbourhood Watch Association is holding drugs awareness meetings to highlight the horrors of abuse.

GONE are the days when drugs were a taboo subject and to remain ignorant was enough to keep them from your door.

Geoff Pegg, Wycombe District Neighbourhood Watch Association chairman now believes drugs are an inescapable part of everyday life.

He said: "All of us have either known somebody who has gone into drugs or we have been victims of drug-related crime.

"It is an inescapable fact of life and not enough of us know about it."

With this in mind, Mr Pegg set up three drugs awareness evenings to get the message across to people in High Wycombe that even if they have never had an alcoholic drink or smoked a cigarette, drugs can still ruin their lives in other ways.

He said: "Drugs issues are at the heart of the majority of all crime.

"People involved in crime are very likely to be involved in drugs."

This opinion is backed up by PC Paul Jervis, area beat officer for Totteridge, who claims 90 per cent of crimes he deals with are connected with drugs.

He said: "What was the problem of London in yester-year is our problem now beca-use Wycombe is on a major route out.

"It is a problem that is getting worse."

The first drugs awareness evening took place last Tuesday night at St Andrew's Church, in Hatters Lane, High Wycombe.

Janet Rowley, from the Drug Prevention Education Awareness Project (DPEAP), addressed the meeting on the main types of drugs available.

She spoke about the "grief" that cannabis has given drug agencies over the change in legislation to make it a class C drug and the confusion that this has caused among young people in the country.

Mrs Rowley also warned of the dangers of solvents, which she called the "the biggest killer of young people."

She said solvents kill one or two people every week in the country.

Lee Scrafton, a former heroin user, spoke of his work for the Substance Misuse Referral Team (SMART), an organisation that helps people who have turned to crime to pay for their drug habit.

Mr Scrafton said: "Many drug-users appear before the courts and our job is to encourage them to enter into treatment so they can get rid of the habit."

Finally, a mother gave a powerful account of how drugs had affected the lives of her family members.

Representatives from many organisations offering advice and information also set up stalls at the meeting, including the Samaritans, Wycombe Youth Action and Addiction.

Mr Pegg said that the drugs problem was a daunting subject.

He added: "It's off-putting when you know you are going to hear about drugs, but it is a message I think we all need to hear."

Two more events have been organised on Thursday, June 16, at Booker Hill School, Field Road, Booker, and on Tuesday, June 21, at Disraeli School, The Pastures, Downley. Both meetings start at 7.30pm.

Mr Pegg added: "These evenings will aim to emphasise the risks of how so-called soft' drugs can act as a slippery slope into harder drugs.

"It's so important that we get people talking about drugs and hopefully, by providing them with the facts, we can give them a real insight into how drug use can impact on ordinary families."

For help or further information, the following organisations are available:

Samaritans of the Chilterns 08457 90 90 90
Drugs Helpline 0800 77 66 00
Wycombe Youth Action 01494 447250