Brixton Fridge busted in massive police raid!
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
D'oh - the BBC linked a dummy website for the Fridge...
editor
hiraethified
It was a gay night that they busted/
More info:
http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=7&newsID=4856
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-1158.html
"Around half of the officers stormed the club's front door whilst backup officers (oo-err) covered the rear of the venue that was hosting its weekly Polysexual club night."
More info:
http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=7&newsID=4856
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-1158.html
"Around half of the officers stormed the club's front door whilst backup officers (oo-err) covered the rear of the venue that was hosting its weekly Polysexual club night."
Whats' a Polysexual ? Is it some-one who fucks parrots ?
As for the question about raiding the club....it might well take two months to identify dealers in a large club. For a start you don't send undercover oficers in every night and you have to send different ones and there is only so many available at anyone time. Then you have to but a certain number of deals to strengthen the evidence of supply and lastly to have to identify the dealers and make sure they are inside when you target the bust........ie- if the dealers aren't in there on a Friday then what day are they all in ? Takes time.
A large club like The Fridge should be able to keep a clean house and the management are lax, lazy or criminal if they turn a blind eye. No-one can keep people from bring in hidden personal but to have six dealers working to this extent smacks of criminality on the part this establishment. If that proves to be the case they should be closed down for good.
As for the question about raiding the club....it might well take two months to identify dealers in a large club. For a start you don't send undercover oficers in every night and you have to send different ones and there is only so many available at anyone time. Then you have to but a certain number of deals to strengthen the evidence of supply and lastly to have to identify the dealers and make sure they are inside when you target the bust........ie- if the dealers aren't in there on a Friday then what day are they all in ? Takes time.
A large club like The Fridge should be able to keep a clean house and the management are lax, lazy or criminal if they turn a blind eye. No-one can keep people from bring in hidden personal but to have six dealers working to this extent smacks of criminality on the part this establishment. If that proves to be the case they should be closed down for good.
hendo
Fish finger sandwiches
Here's the full Press Association report of what happened:
200 POLICE IN DRUGS RAID AT TOP LONDON CLUB
By Neville Dean, PA Crime Correspondent
Eleven people have been arrested following a drugs raid at a top London
nightclub.
More than 200 officers swooped on The Fridge in Brixton, south London, last
night to investigate allegations of Class A drug dealing.
Scotland Yard said four men and two women were held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A substances.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A substances.
They are all in custody and will be questioned later today.
The spokesman added that four people received formal warnings for possession of a small amount of cannabis, while a further nine will be investigated after they were found to be in possession of a small amount of Class A substances.
Officers recovered drugs, believed to be cocaine and ecstasy, and a large
amount of money in the raid which followed a two-month covert intelligence
operation, police said.
The dramatic raid was triggered by a command "attack, attack" at just after
11.25pm as clubbers were arriving for the start of the venue's "Polysexual"
night.
Scores of officers then burst in through the front door while others covered
the rear. Police intelligence suggested the alleged dealing was taking place inside and around the female toilets. Earlier yesterday, in connection with the raid, a 29-year-old man was arrested in Harrow, north-west London, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
The operation, codenamed Atuna, was led by CO14, Scotland Yard's specialist Clubs and Vice unit, and included officers from the Territorial Support Group. They swept into the club - which is housed in an old converted cinema - took control of the foyer and the dancefloor, turned the music off and the lights up.
Plain-clothes officers, operating undercover, were inside the club as the raid
began. Around 130 clubbers were inside at the time of the raid, although it has the capacity for many more. Some clubbers were then brought into the foyer and searched for drugs.
Senior officers were keen to stress that the raid was not targeted at a
particular type of music or style of event, but was instead designed to meet
community concerns.
However, many disgruntled revellers who had to leave the venue complained that their night had been ruined, and asked why it was necessary to halt the night rather than just remove the alleged dealers.
Chief Superintendent Martin Bridger, Borough Commander for Lambeth, apologised to those who had travelled a long way to the club only to see their night end prematurely. He said that substances thought to be ecstasy and cocaine had been found at the club, and insisted that drug dealing had to be tackled.
"Drug dealers and the misery they cause are not welcome in Lambeth.
"The local community and police will not tolerate their criminal
behaviour."
Mr Bridger indicated that the venue's licence would now be reviewed.
"What is clear is that there will be a review of the premises and the control
mechanisms they have in place for keeping drugs out of the premises," he said.
Inspector Chris Bedwell, from the Clubs and Vice Unit, said: "Thousands of
people flood into the capital's world famous nightclubs every weekend.
"It is our job to work closely with the licensees, club owners and councils
to make sure that these clubbers are safe.
"If these clubs are turning a blind eye to Class A drugs being sold inside
then we have a duty to act and deal with these people so that a majority who go to pubs and clubs in London can do so in a safe crime-free environment."
Mr Bedwell said the alleged dealing inside the club was "blatant and
obvious" and that the intelligence operation had been running for as long as
five months.
Uniformed police officers formed a cordon around the entrance early today and handed out leaflets to clubbers that explained why the raid was taking place.John Roberts, the Metropolitan Police Authority's lead member for Lambeth, said the operation was part of a wider attempt to end the misery that drug dealing caused to the community.
Mr Roberts said: "By listening to the community and responding to their
concern we can tackle drug dealing in Lambeth.
"Tonight's operation is part of a much bigger picture where, together, the
police and the community are targeting the anti-social criminality that drug
dealing breeds and the misery that is causes."
He added: "Brixton is saying `enough is enough'. People come to Brixton to
have fun and enjoy the nightlife - they do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs."
The Fridge nightclub started in the early 1980s and moved into the converted
cinema in 1985.
200 POLICE IN DRUGS RAID AT TOP LONDON CLUB
By Neville Dean, PA Crime Correspondent
Eleven people have been arrested following a drugs raid at a top London
nightclub.
More than 200 officers swooped on The Fridge in Brixton, south London, last
night to investigate allegations of Class A drug dealing.
Scotland Yard said four men and two women were held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A substances.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A substances.
They are all in custody and will be questioned later today.
The spokesman added that four people received formal warnings for possession of a small amount of cannabis, while a further nine will be investigated after they were found to be in possession of a small amount of Class A substances.
Officers recovered drugs, believed to be cocaine and ecstasy, and a large
amount of money in the raid which followed a two-month covert intelligence
operation, police said.
The dramatic raid was triggered by a command "attack, attack" at just after
11.25pm as clubbers were arriving for the start of the venue's "Polysexual"
night.
Scores of officers then burst in through the front door while others covered
the rear. Police intelligence suggested the alleged dealing was taking place inside and around the female toilets. Earlier yesterday, in connection with the raid, a 29-year-old man was arrested in Harrow, north-west London, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
The operation, codenamed Atuna, was led by CO14, Scotland Yard's specialist Clubs and Vice unit, and included officers from the Territorial Support Group. They swept into the club - which is housed in an old converted cinema - took control of the foyer and the dancefloor, turned the music off and the lights up.
Plain-clothes officers, operating undercover, were inside the club as the raid
began. Around 130 clubbers were inside at the time of the raid, although it has the capacity for many more. Some clubbers were then brought into the foyer and searched for drugs.
Senior officers were keen to stress that the raid was not targeted at a
particular type of music or style of event, but was instead designed to meet
community concerns.
However, many disgruntled revellers who had to leave the venue complained that their night had been ruined, and asked why it was necessary to halt the night rather than just remove the alleged dealers.
Chief Superintendent Martin Bridger, Borough Commander for Lambeth, apologised to those who had travelled a long way to the club only to see their night end prematurely. He said that substances thought to be ecstasy and cocaine had been found at the club, and insisted that drug dealing had to be tackled.
"Drug dealers and the misery they cause are not welcome in Lambeth.
"The local community and police will not tolerate their criminal
behaviour."
Mr Bridger indicated that the venue's licence would now be reviewed.
"What is clear is that there will be a review of the premises and the control
mechanisms they have in place for keeping drugs out of the premises," he said.
Inspector Chris Bedwell, from the Clubs and Vice Unit, said: "Thousands of
people flood into the capital's world famous nightclubs every weekend.
"It is our job to work closely with the licensees, club owners and councils
to make sure that these clubbers are safe.
"If these clubs are turning a blind eye to Class A drugs being sold inside
then we have a duty to act and deal with these people so that a majority who go to pubs and clubs in London can do so in a safe crime-free environment."
Mr Bedwell said the alleged dealing inside the club was "blatant and
obvious" and that the intelligence operation had been running for as long as
five months.
Uniformed police officers formed a cordon around the entrance early today and handed out leaflets to clubbers that explained why the raid was taking place.John Roberts, the Metropolitan Police Authority's lead member for Lambeth, said the operation was part of a wider attempt to end the misery that drug dealing caused to the community.
Mr Roberts said: "By listening to the community and responding to their
concern we can tackle drug dealing in Lambeth.
"Tonight's operation is part of a much bigger picture where, together, the
police and the community are targeting the anti-social criminality that drug
dealing breeds and the misery that is causes."
He added: "Brixton is saying `enough is enough'. People come to Brixton to
have fun and enjoy the nightlife - they do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs."
The Fridge nightclub started in the early 1980s and moved into the converted
cinema in 1985.
Pot-Bellied Pig said:
I think about 4 undercover officers in two weeks could find your five or eleven people dealing class A drugs in sufficient quantity. Quite easily just one person in a single night can do that. And you can be 95% sure they will be selling on a Friday or Saturday night.
the B said:
I agree, Ive not been in there for a few years but I reckon you could have found that many dealers in the without much effort on most Friday nights. The police must have had some specific intellegence or been after a particular group. Especially if they had 200 plods avaliable!
Weird it's all over the media though, if it had been Heven or Fabric I doubt it would have made the front page of the bbc website - the media is still addicted to Brixton drug stories then.
DJWrongspeed
radio eros
I fail to see how a few dealers in the fridge on a sat night is affecting anyone's community? 
given the rampant street scene a few 100 yards away , surely that is where police time could be usefully spent.
"People come to Brixton to have fun and enjoy the nightlife, they do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs"
John Roberts
that's just ridonkulous nonsense isn't it? without drugs places like the Fridge would've closed years ago.
given the rampant street scene a few 100 yards away , surely that is where police time could be usefully spent."People come to Brixton to have fun and enjoy the nightlife, they do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs"
John Roberts
that's just ridonkulous nonsense isn't it? without drugs places like the Fridge would've closed years ago.
MysteryGuest
beyond boring and interesting
You'd have to have a real taste for danger to deal in the Fridge tbh. A few years ago a friend of mine was walking around chatting to a few of his mates there, whereupon security hauled him round the back, searched him and called the cops when they found some k and about 5 pills on him. He spent the rest of the night in Brixton nick. He eventually got off with a caution. The Fridge was very much known then as somewhere to be extra careful with your substances. (Or it was in my social circle anyway.) I was there one night around 1999 where it got raided, and it very much looked like the police were targeting specific dealers, so it's happened before.
brixtonvilla
should be Oslovilla, really
memespring said:
Naaaah. Fabric or Heaven would still have made the headlines. Still, drugs in the Fridge. Who'dathunkit? Is nowhere safe? You'll be telling me there's drugs in George IV or the Telegraph next...
Well that's Ian Blair's replacement sorted out then ...the B said:
What is your point? Unless you are experienced in gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in such a case, how do you feel so confident to challenge the information you are given by someone who is?
Were you the inspiration for Harry Enfields "You don't wanna do it like that ..." character?
They were. The dealers they had identified as a result of a long-term intelligence gathering operation.memespring said:
That quote sums up the problem. That, in my experience, is precisely why many people DO want to go to clubs!DJWrongspeed said:
Polysexual isn't one of the main gay "circuit" nights like Beyond, AM, Later or Orange (all run by the Orange Group who now own The Fridge). I led to believe it's more of mixed gay/str8 hardhouse night.
Be interesting to see how this might have a knock on effect with the above nights and venues like Fire (also owned by Orange).
"They do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs"
Are the police really that out of touch? Does this mean that all the people still partying at Orange at 12 noon on Monday are all sipping water to keep going.
The first Monday Night/Tuesday morning club... Open launches at Fire this week... kicks of at 2am closes at 10am. People just want to go along and not be peddled drugs so they can stay up for ridiculous hours, of course.
Be interesting to see how this might have a knock on effect with the above nights and venues like Fire (also owned by Orange).
"They do not want to come to clubs where they are being peddled drugs"
Are the police really that out of touch? Does this mean that all the people still partying at Orange at 12 noon on Monday are all sipping water to keep going.
The first Monday Night/Tuesday morning club... Open launches at Fire this week... kicks of at 2am closes at 10am. People just want to go along and not be peddled drugs so they can stay up for ridiculous hours, of course.
They are. It's not either / or.han said:
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
detective-boy said:
It is to a degree though isn't it? The resources available are finite and if they hadn't been raiding this club they could have been doing something else. That's obvious surely?
The issue is not whether or not the POLICE are out of touch. Even if they know perfectly well that lots of clubbers go to clubs specifically because they WANT to use controlled drugs, they are still duty bound to mount operations against them because it remains illegal. I suspect that this operation was specifically mounted against this club cause of some problem with their own in-house enforcement (or lack of it). Almost all the high-profile operations such as this that have been mounted in the last few years have arisen because of a lack of management will in co-operating with the police in keeping drug dealing (and, to a lesser extent, drug use) under control. In some cases this has been because the management are just incompetent. In others because they have a financial interest in allowing the dealing to continue.scruff said:
The question is whether or not the public at large are out of touch. I suspect majority views are changing as generations familiar with the club scene grow older but until the public at large (via their politicians) change their minds about the illegality of drugs then it will remain illegal and the police will have to take some action against them.
I do not think it can be argued that the police can pick and choose which laws to enforce, though they do have wide discretion in how, when and to what extent. There is an issue that they tend to listen more to the Daily Mail reading demograpphic than to others, and that needs to continue to be addressed. But the police HAVE led moves towards less stringent enforcement of drug laws (e.g. pressure for the downgrading of cannabis to Class C; semi-tolerance of cannabis starting with the "Lambeth experiment" later adopted nationwide). Andtheir approach has brought howls of condemnation from other groups in society.
Whinge at the MPs, the councillors, the media. Press for more and better research of drug usage. Prove some of the claimed ill-effects are grossly exaggerated. It's public opinion you have to change.
They do.zenie said:
If they really did want to focus on drug dealing and nothing else you would see dozens of raids like this every night of the week. When did on last take place in Lambeth? How many clubs are there? How much drug dealing and using goes on in them?
The officers running the operation were from the unit responsible for licensed clubs in the MPS area. As such ensuring that the licensing laws (including the laws against the use of controlled drugs within licensed premises) are enforced. So if they weren't doing this they'd be ... er ... enforcing licensing laws in another club.Monkeygrinder's Organ said:
Most of the uniformed support would, I guess, have come from the Territorial Support Group. They are a reserve of officers available to any division or unit to bolster an operation. If they had another request for their services for the same period then they would prioritise. It may well be the case that the operation had been planned for previous dates when, becausethe TSG had been called away to another, more important assignment, it had to be cancelled. If they had no other specific calls on their time then they would randomly patrol an identified area, responding to emergency calls in groups of five or six or carrying out stop and searches, etc. with very limited knowledge of the area and it's dynamics. Perhaps some would their employment on a focused, intelligence-led operation was a better idea!
Some of the specialist resources (e.g. drug dogs or search officers) have that as a full-time role and spend time on "standby" (doing training or whatever) when not operationally employed. Like the TSG if anyone wanted them for anything more important at the time then they would have been deployed to that.
It is not as simple as "if they weren't doing this they'd be doing something more important". Do you not think the drug laws should be enforced at all? If so, explain how it can be right that the police choose to totally ignore a particular type of criminal offence.
call on their time
timothysutton1
Brixton resident.
I would imagine this has been done not only to arrest a few drug dealers but also to send a message out to the media that the Brixton Police will not be so tolerant in future. Good thing if you ask me.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
detective-boy said:
And for all that it's not as simple, and for all that you've said above, it's still the case that the time could have been used more productively. Police organisational structures aren't some unchangeable law handed down from above.
And the police ignore any number of offences every day, and I know you know this. How many people in Brixton failed to get a response to a burglary, say, yesterday? Some of the officers involved could have been doing that.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
timothysutton1 said:
And you think it will make any difference? At all?
I seriously doubt it. Next weekend you'll be able to buy pills in clubs in Brixton exactly as easily as this weekend.
