Nowadays policing in the UK is as much to do with public awareness and figures as getting the people who need to be put behind bars.
Although i wasnt at the club, when Gatecrasher got raided a few years ago it was a HUGE operation.
They had spent months in the club looking for the people there week in, week out who were dishing out the disco biscuits. When it actually came down to the night itself, the surrounded a mile and a half area off around the club, and raided it.
They knew exactly who they were after and where they were. The main officer in charge chucked who ever was playing off, got on the mic and told everyone that they if you have 'anything' on you now is the time to dispose of it.
On the way out they searched people who were looking dodgy, but i think they only made a small amount of arrests and confisccated a small amount of drugs. The main dealers were actually security who were dealing from the 'cigarette machine'!
The moral is, undercovers are well planned and expensive operations. They do not target clubbers or even those who deal small amounts to thier mates. But the clubbers who do get caught out so to speak are the ones who stand on the roof tops an shout to everyone thier on drugs, metorphorically speakcing of course
