DRUGS blight communities and so it is welcome news that police chiefs in Glasgow are cracking down on the dealers who do so much damage.

But the only way police can make real headway in the battle against illegal substances is with the help of those same communities.

Chief Inspector Alan Porte, whose city centre team has increased arrests by 200% in the past year, has called on residents to contact his officers should they have any concerns regarding the sale of drugs.

It is this persistent request for communities to work with police that will make improvements in tackling a criminal minority that causes widespread harm and devastates lives.

As CI Porte adds, drug dealers are interested only in profit. They do not care about the damage caused to families, such as that of 17-year-old Regane MacColl, who died after ­becoming ill in The Arches nightclub.

Like so many other young people, she did not understand the risk. Drug dealers, too, do not care about risk or the consequences of the substances they sell. It is up to all members of society to help protect their communities from drugs by working with police where they can.