Fourteen people have been arrested and a dozen weapons taken off the streets in a week of proactive operations targeting illegal drugs and drug related crime and violence across Wiltshire.
As part of the fourth phase of the South West regional crackdown on drugs, Wiltshire Police, in collaboration with four other forces, worked to put a ‘Ring of Steel’ across the region, showing criminals there is no place for drugs in our communities.
Drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were seized in the region after a car, spotted by officers travelling through Gloucester and onto Gwent, was intercepted near the border with Wales. Seven kilos of Class A drugs were found on board, with a street value of £700,000. The driver has been charged with possession with intent to supply and remanded in custody.
In Wiltshire, officers executed eight warrants in Swindon and Salisbury, and on Thursday, officers from the Force’s Fortitude Teams conducted an ANPR operation, stopping 18 people.
In total, 14 arrests were made for drug and violence-related offences, with four people remanded in custody.
Cocaine worth £9,150, cannabis worth £1,150, £1,500 in cash and 10 vehicles were seized. Officers also seized three machetes, three crossbows, an air weapon, a knife, a lock knife, a baseball bat and a pair of nunchuks.
Of the 14 arrests, six have been charged, four of whom have been remanded in custody.
Six closure orders were obtained for properties to give residents the peace of mind that we are taking their concerns over antisocial behaviour seriously.
These closure orders will be rigorously enforced and anyone breaching these will be prosecuted.
Officers also conducted a range of community-led engagement activities around child criminal exploitation (CCE), which is often linked to drug crime as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move narcotics and money around.
These included participating in a webinar organised by the PACE charity, which was attended by 120 parents, providing taxi drivers with leaflets on recognising the signs of exploitation in county lines, and a mobile digital billboard displaying signs of CCE with a QR code for people to find out more.
Det Supt Ben Mant, who was leading on the operations in Wiltshire, said: “This was a successful week of both enforcement and community engagement activities to show we are serious that there is no place for drugs across both our county and the South West.
“Not only have we been able to recover a large quantity of drugs and disrupted gangs and individuals who deal in them, we have also taken a number of dangerous weapons off the streets, making the region a much safer place.
“Together with our partners we have also sought to strengthen the support and safeguarding activity to the vulnerable, as well as providing educational material to schools detailing the issues and impact of taking drugs.
“As well as commending the officers who took part, I want to thank the public who have come forward in their numbers with the information that has made these operations possible.
“Their support and willingness to share their concerns about illegal activities has helped us to make the South West a hostile environment for criminals. As demonstrated during the past week, we achieve better results when we are able to act upon the information communities provide.”
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “As part of the South West collaboration of PCCs and Chief Constables we have been working to make the SW region a hostile environment for those people who deal in drugs.
“This has been a week of well planned and executed operations by Wiltshire Police and the other four Forces which have been designed to reduce the harm caused by drugs such as anti-social behaviour and violence across the whole county.
“We will continue this crucial work to ensure perpetrators of drug dealing and related crimes are brought to justice to ensure that Wiltshire, and the South West is no place for drugs.”
Anyone with information about illegal drugs activity should report it to their local police service online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
To pass on information anonymously, speak to Crimestoppers 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year on 0800 555 111 or use their non-traceable online form. Contact will always remain 100 percent anonymous.
