|
Kent Police officers have arrested 17 people in a series of dawn raids at their homes in mid, north and south Kent, Sussex and across London. Ten of them have so far been charged. They're suspected of supplying controlled drugs. The four day operation disrupted a major drugs network believed to involve five London based organised crime gangs supplying dealers and users in Kent. The operation was led by Special Branch's Organised Crime Unit but involved very close and collaborative working with each of the Areas concerned. It was the culmination of a three month long, intelligence led investigation. The arrest details include: 7 in London, 4 in Maidstone, 1 in Dover, 2 in Gravesend, 1 in Dartford and 1 in Erith.
In addition, a total of 33 premises were searched and cocaine, crack cocaine and amphetamine were seized as well as more than £50,000 cash. They include: North Kent
8 locations
Maidstone
7 locations
Medway
1 location
London
7 locations
South Kent
8 locations
West Kent
1 locations
Sussex
1 location One hundred enforcement officers and detectives were involved each day of the operation. Detective Sergeant John McDermott from Special Branch's Organised Crime Unit said: ‘I'm extremely pleased with the results of the operation. Drug dealers create havoc and misery in the community. They target vulnerable people and greatly affect people's quality of life. ‘Officers from across the force pooled their expertise and resources and worked collaboratively together to arrest suspects. This is yet another example of many areas of Kent Police working together to reduce the harm caused by the illegal drugs trade.
‘Our message to criminals is we don't want you in Kent. If you come here we will use every available legitimate police tactic to track you down and bring you to justice. If you think you can get away with it think again. Whoever you are we will deal with you. By acting swiftly and decisively, we are making Kent a hostile environment in which to commit crimes. ‘Our message to the people of Kent is we are working hard to reduce the harm caused by the illegal drugs trade and we believe that these arrests will have a significant impact on the supply of drugs into our county. Disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups will undoubtedly enhance people's safety and quality of life.' Our neighbourhood policing teams have formed close relationships with the communities they protect and serve, enabling officers to deal with local crime issues more easily. Officers work constantly to disrupt the activities of drug suppliers and dealers to stop them getting a foothold in the area. In addition, Kent Police works closely with other organisations to get support for addicts to help them kick their habit and break the cycle that leads to crime. Local people can help the police by reporting any suspicions they have about activity locally that could be linked to drugs. According to Home Office quarterly crime figures for April to June 2008 crime in Kent fell by 10.4 per cent or 3,675 offences compared with the same period last year. At the same time, detection rates continued to increase. |
