POLICE believe crime rates in Devizes will fall with the jailing of drug dealer Tim Cooper for more than five years.

Cooper, 32, of Waiblingen Way, Devizes, was caught trading in heroin and cocaine for a third time after police battered down the door of his girlfriend's home and caught him red handed.

Yesterday Det Sgt Simon Wright from the pro-active team based at Melksham said: "It was a very good result for us. We are very pleased he has been jailed for this amount of time."

Sgt Vince Logue of Devizes police said: "Timmy Cooper has been a recidivist criminal for many years, our statistics show that when he is in prison, there is a marked reduction in crime in Devizes. The fact that he has now been sent to prison for a considerable time is welcomed by Devizes police and is great news for the public and businesses of the town."

Det Sgt Wright said he and a colleague went to The Nursery, Devizes in the late afternoon on September 26 acting on information received.

He said: "We used the big red battering rams to take down the door. We wanted the element of surprise and we managed to get that.

"Cooper was in the bedroom and to say he was shocked to see us in an understatement. A lot of stuff was out on show. Just him and his girlfriend were in the property. Once they were secured we conducted a search and we were joined by other officers.

"We didn't need to use dogs as everything was out in the open."

On Friday Swindon Crown Court heard hundreds of pounds worth of the hard drugs were found during the raid.

When Cooper's mobile phone was looked at it was found to be littered with references to his illicit trade.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the police raided the property on The Nursery last September 26.

“Both Mr Cooper and his girlfriend were present. There were also 77 wraps believed to be class A drugs with a phone and other articles,” she said.

“There were also two empty Kinder Eggs often used as a means for transporting drugs by people.”

Miss Marlow said there were 36 wraps of cocaine and 41 of heroin, all in £10 deals, making them worth £770.

When he was questioned the defendant said that all of the drugs had been left at the house by a friend and were not his.

But when his phone was examined it was found to have scores of text messages relating to drug dealing dating from August 30.

Cooper, of Waiblingen Way, Devizes, pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two of possession with intent.

The court heard he had 109 previous convictions which included two previous matters of drug dealing.

In 2003 he was put on a drug treatment and testing order at Salisbury Crown Court for supplying heroin after being caught in a police sting.

Then in 2009 he was jailed for two years for possessing heroin with intent to supply.

Under the three strike rule he must get at least seven years, with a discount for pleading guilty of up to 20 per cent, unless the judge thinks it unjust.

Ronan McCann, defending, said there was no suggestion that his client was a “large scale dealer” and there are many above him in the supply chain.

He said: “At the age of 13 he fell foul of mainstream education. At that time he had found gainful employment selling cannabis for others older than himself.

“From that he moved on to class A drugs. It is right to say his relationship with heroin has been the longest relationship in his life.”

Most of his offending had been drug related and he had also suffered the loss of his brother in a murder which had a drugs background, he said.

Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC jailed him for five years, seven months. said: “On this occasion it is perfectly plain to me you were significantly involved in drug dealing.

“The question of sentencing is really overtaken in my view by what parliament has decided. I express no view as to the level of the minimum sentence I am required to pass.”