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Operation Shield, Gloucestershire Constabulary's county-wide operation aimed at tackling cross border criminals and addressing the concerns of local communities, resulted in 38 arrests and the seizure of more than 40 vehicles. Run between Wednesday June 25 and Friday June 27, the operation used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to scan the number plates of hundreds of vehicles travelling on the county's roads. In addition officers carried out many hours of high visibility patrols in a bid to tackle issues highlighted by local people, such as criminal damage and anti-social behaviour. Assisted by colleagues from West Mercia Constabulary, Gwent Police and Wiltshire Police, and a range of partner agencies including representatives of HM Customs & Excise, the Vehicle and Operative Services Agency, the DVLA, and the Highways Agency, Gloucestershire officers ran Operation Shield in all three of its divisional areas. The activities of the multi-agency group proved to be extremely successful, with 38 people arrested for a wide variety of offences, and 46 vehicles seized by the authorities. ACC Mick Matthews, the Assistant Chief Constable of Operations for Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: "As well as being a very successful operation in its own right, Operation Shield was extremely well received by the vast majority of members of the public who heard about it. "The positive comments published about the operation in the local media were extremely encouraging for all those involved. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues in West Mercia, Gwent and Wiltshire, and our partner agencies, for all their hard work in making this initiative such a success. "I'd also like to thank the public who took the time to give feedback on our actions, and let them know that their comments have been extremely useful." On day one of Operation Shield (Wednesday June 25), which was held in the locality of Trier Way, Gloucester, the following figures were recorded: Arrests 5 x Individuals arrested on warrants 4 x theft 3 x shoplifting (one also wanted for breach of bail) 3 x possession of cannabis 1 x disqualified driving 1 x dangerous driving 1 x suspected illegal immigrant 1 x assault 1 x going equipped 1 x escape from lawful custody 1 x robbery 1 x possession of an offensive weapon Total 23 Twenty-seven vehicles were seized on this day, 23 of these for no insurance. Officers also recovered a Seat Ibiza car that had been reported stolen in June. On day two (Thursday June 26) Operation Shield moved to the Michael Wood service station on the M5 motorway: Arrests 5 x possession of drugs with intent to supply 1 x bankruptcy warrant 2 x disqualified driving Total 8 Officers also issued a large number of cautions and street cautions after seizing small quantities of a diverse range of illegal drugs: 28 x street cautions for cannabis 26 x police cautions for Class A drugs (including ecstasy, cocaine and magic mushrooms 12 x police cautions for cannabis 3 x police cautions for Class B drugs (amphetamine) Total 69 Ten vehicles were seized at Michael Wood, seven of these for no insurance. Officers also recovered a firearm during the operation. The final day of the operation took place around the Arle Court roundabout in Cheltenham (Friday June 27): Arrests 1 x public order offence 1 x assault 1 x theft 2 x possession of an offensive weapon 2 x drugs possession Total 7 Authorities seized 25 vehicles, 10 of these for no insurance. http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/item3926.html |
