IN 1980 there were just six detectives in Gwent's drug squad. Finding a nine-ounce bar of cannabis was considered a "significant seizure".

Today, more than 40 detectives are involved in dismantling organised crime in Gwent - such as drug trafficking - and drug seizures have included 1m worth of cocaine in one raid.

This is just one of the stark contrasts Chief Superintendent Kevin Price points out.

"Policing was less complex than it is now," he says.

"The majority of resources in Newport would have been uniformed officers patrolling the streets of the town centre and Maindee on foot, complemented by four vehicles on each side of the river.

"There would be as many as 20 patrolling officers, whereas now we have as little as six officers on patrol in the central area per shift."

Chief Supt Price said the biggest contrast he had noticed was that in 1980 officers focused on high-visibility policing and their demands were in a limited number of areas - theft, shoplifting, road safety, drunkenness and public order.

"The demands from the public were significantly less than they are now," he said.

"There was a lot less requirement for police officers to resolve domestic disputes, neighbour problems and issues of anti-social behaviour, which is probably accountable for the greatest increase in policing demands we now face.

"We are more accessible, and the majority of people now have mobile phones in addition to a telephone within their homes, so issues can be reported promptly

"And there appears to be a need for third-party intervention in issues which could be resolved if people took the trouble to speak to neighbours and resolve problems locally."

Chief Supt Price said the force was committed to providing dedicated teams of officers to work with partners within ward areas to try to encourage neighbourhood co-operation.

He added: "The challenges of policing today are far more complex in that we have to provide experienced and trained officers to deal with changes in criminality such as organised crime groups, drug traffickers, paedophiles, computer crime and terrorism.

"These additional demands have impacted significantly on our resources, which is why there's a great difference between the number of uniformed officers who parade for duty in 2004 compared to 1980."

Chief Supt Price named drugs and alcohol as the biggest threat to our communities today.

"I can recall that in my early years of service the force drug squad consisted of one DI, one DS and four DCs," he said. "A seizure of 9oz of cannabis would have been seen as a significant seizure.

"Over the last three years Newport alone has seen a single seizure of cocaine valued in excess of 1m, and had Jamaican drug groups operating throughout the city.

"Today there is one DI, 6 DSs and 33 DCs involved in dismantling organised crime, in addition to our involvement in the regional response - Operation Tarian - and the National Crime Squad.

"I would say there's been a massive increase in the availability and abuse of drugs over the last ten years, and that the impact of drug use and abuse has resulted in many victims losing their lives, their employment and their own value of life.

"Over the last ten years we have also witnessed a massive increase of property crime, such as burglaries and thefts from vehicles, and our research confirms that there's a high correlation between these acts and drug using."

He said that alcohol also had a significant impact and was probably the greatest cause of anti-social behaviour and acts of violence today.

"In the 1980s accessibility to alcohol was far more restricted and we certainly didn't have the problem with youngsters openly abusing alcohol to the extent we have today.

"Binge drinking was a term that never existed in the 1980s. Although we still had a reputation in Newport for alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviour, these issues are more prevalent today and appear to impact on a younger age group.