Colchester drug related deaths jump by more than 60 per cent

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published statistics which show there were 21 drug related deaths in Colchester in 2022, up from the 13 recorded in 2021.

Of the 21 drug related deaths recorded in 2022, six were identified as being a result of drug misuse.

The age standardised mortality rate for Colchester, which accounts for age and population size, sat at 10.1 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people between 2020 and 2022, above the national rate for England which is 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people.

Rising – the number of drug related deaths in Colchester is rising, along with the overall number across England and Wales (Image: Essex Police)

Statistics for 2023 have not yet been finalised, but the figures for 2022 will have been concerning for many other areas across the country as well as Colchester, with 4,907 deaths caused by drug poisoning in 2022 in England and Wales.

That number is the highest since records began in 1993.

The statistics cover drug abuse and dependence, fatal accidents, suicides and complications involving controlled and non-controlled drugs, prescription, and over-the-counter medications.

For Colchester, the numbers still make for concerning reading, even though Essex Police has continued carrying out drug raids in the city and further afield.

Colchester Council’s portfolio holder for communities, Natalie Sommers, said: “The most important thing the police do is sign post people towards help that’s the first thing they will do.

“We have, if they become a persistent nuisance, to crack down on drug users then, but the first point of call is to give people help, first and foremost.

Support – Natalie Sommers said it is important for users to get support to help combat their reliance or addiction to substances (Image: Colchester Council)

"As with issues like knife crime, we need to keep these initiatives going to reduce the number of drug deaths, and give people safer places if they are addicted.

In June last year, Essex Police shared they had arrested three people and seized Class A drugs during a raid of a house in Colchester.

As recently as last month, however, residents who spoke anonymously to the Gazette said they were “too scared” to leave their own homes in Queen Mary Avenue, such was their fear of being confronted by drug dealers.

Ms Sommers added: "We have the public space protection order which we can use in conjunction with the police to crack down on ASB.

"The dealers we do want to get down on hard, so we can protect kids from county lines."