Drug offences are on the rise in Waterford.

Figures revealed at a meeting of the Waterford Joint Policing committee showed that arrests for possession had increased by over 50 per cent from January to March of this year from the same time in 2018.

But Section 15 offences, the sale or supply of drugs, were found to have decreased from 18 incidents to 13.

Waterford Superintendent Chris Delaney says arrests have risen from 81 to 110 for this quarter.

He says gardai have been targeting larger dealers involved in these type of offences and have had considerable success in relation to that.

Superintendent Delaney says he believes there are a number of reasons why arrests are on the rise, like having more officers dedicated towards it, but also it
is representative of an increase in affluence as well. Generally when the economy picks up, people will use drugs, various types of drugs are more prevalent during
times of boom rather than recession, but it does seem to correlate with the amount of money that is floating around society as well.