Business owner speaks out about 'major problem' Northampton neighbourhood reportedly plagued by drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and knife crime

The business owner in Semilong says the area remains a crime hotspot more than 18 months after a fatal stabbing in the park.

In July 2024, 30-year-old Tommy Boom was stabbed twice with a large hunting knife shortly after midnight at Miller’s Meadow, also known as Semilong Park.

Now, in February 2026, a business owner in the area says the problems have not gone away.

The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals, said: “You see it all the while… you know it’s going to happen, but it’s been getting progressively worse.

“You’re getting 10, 15 people come down here every day [buying and selling drugs], multiple times a day.

"It started getting really bad after Christmas and then it’s just been the same ever since. I don’t think it’s going to be long until something bad happens down here.

“One of the drug dealers is some teenager on a bike – you can see he’s only a young lad, so he’s obviously being used by the bosses.”

The owner says he even caught a suspected drug deal gone wrong on his CCTV camera which ended up with one person being stabbed, he says.

However, despite offering the CCTV to police a month later, he says police ‘don’t want to know’.

He said: “It’s just a bit aggravating that the police don’t really want to know. All they’ve done is send the PCSOs down.

“It would be nice for them to show a bit of presence down here. If there was police hanging down here every day, all the drug dealers wouldn’t be coming in. If the drug dealers wouldn’t be coming in, the druggies wouldn’t be coming in.”

Local Labour councillor Sally Keeble said she is also concerned about crime in the area and the recent spate of stabbings around the town.

Councillor Keeble said: “I’m extremely concerned about it. There seems to have been a number of serious incidents recently.

“Unless you deal with the problem, it just moves around. That’s my concern, that it has to be stopped, not just constantly moved on around town.

“Unless some efforts are made to look at the impact of particularly drugs, substance abuse, county lines, on what’s happening in the town centre, it will be very hard to actually tackle the problem. First, you have to know what you’re dealing with."

She added: “The figures show that in a lot of areas, crime is going down. And in that sense, obviously, the police are doing well. But in Semilong, my perception is that it’s really a major problem.

“Until we know the scale of the issue, until it’s properly measured, it’s hard to see what action is being taken to deal with it. I think simply moving people on isn’t adequate.”

Responding, a Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “Working with our community partners, the neighbourhood policing team continues to address the concerns raised by residents and businesses to help make Semilong a safer place to live and work.

“Our neighbourhood team conduct high-visibility patrols within our local communities, and we would encourage anyone who has any concerns to please stop and speak to our officers or PCSOs to help us identify and address these quickly and efficiently.

“The public are our eyes and ears, and we would also ask anyone who witnesses a crime or has any information regarding drug dealing to please report it to us. Reports can be made by calling 101 or online via our website. Alternatively, if they wish to remain anonymous, they can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 or crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information. However, in an emergency when life is in immediate danger, always call 999.”