We're coming after you...

On the Haregate estate in Leek, officers stormed a semi-detached house and after searching the premises two arrests were made.

The raids were part of Operation Nemesis, Staffordshire Police’s ongoing crackdown on drug dealers, which followed weeks of detailed investigation and planning.

All of the raids were executed by North Staffordshire officers and the force’s Tactical Support Team under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Overall, eight men, aged between 24 and 32, and five women, aged between 24 and 36, were arrested and taken into custody at either Leek Police Station or the Northern Area Custody facility at Etruria.

Nine people — six men and three women —have been released on police bail pending further enquiries. Two people — a man and a woman — were cautioned, one man was given a street warning and one woman was released without charge.

A 30-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, both from Leek, were among the nine released on police bail.

Items seized included Class A drugs, cannabis vegetation, drug paraphernalia, air weapons, cash and mobile phones.

Leek and Biddulph neighbourhood policing unit commander Inspector Steve Maskrey said: “The operation sends out a clear and unequivocal message to drug dealers — we are coming after you and will bring you to justice.

 “Our communities tell us they want to see positive and robust action against drug dealers and the criminal activity and antisocial behaviour it attracts.

 “Through Operation Nemesis we are able to build the community’s confidence in police and our partners by showing we clearly understand the issues that matter to people and that we are taking effective, partnership action to tackle those concerns.” 

 “A vital part of the operation has been the close partnership working between local police, Newcastle Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and local drugs support and treatment services.” 

 Local Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been out in Leek distributing newsletters giving information and details about the raids. They have been joined by drugs and alcohol referral workers who have been offering advice on treatment services in the North Staffordshire area.

 FOR Tommy it’s just a bit of fun, but for Staffordshire Police he is at the frontline of the force’s bid to tackle town-centre violence.

Tommy is a passive drugs dog, trained to search for drugs, cash and firearms. Any sign of the three will trigger him to sit to attention and signal a search by officers.

Brought in from West Midlands Police with his handler PC Marie Darby, Tommy played a pivotal role in Staffordshire Police’s Operation Safer Nights crackdown in Leek Town Centre on Friday night.

Aimed mainly at alcohol-related town centre violence and disorder, Operation Safer Nights brings together under one banner a number of policing activities aimed at reducing violent incidents in town centres.

Friday night’s operation saw uniformed and undercover officers accompany Marie and Tommy to target well-known nightspots.

During the course of the evening, 21 stop searches were carried out with three people arrested for possession of controlled substances — all of whom were bailed.

They included an 18-year-old man who was given a street caution for possession of cannabis, and a 20-year-old man who was arrested for possession of controlled drugs. A 20-year-old was also arrested for being drunk and disorderly, fixed penalty notices were issued for not waiting, urinating in the street and being drunk an disorderly.

All four arrested were taken into custody in Leek after the reopening of the stations’ cells.

Police also issued four Section 27 notices ordering people to leave Leek town centre.

Sergeant Kelly Wareing told Your Leek Paper that use of the drugs dog allowed the force to prevent any serious disorder.

She said: “We were able to prevent any incidents of disorder but with the help of a keen passive drugs dog and handler from the West Midlands we were able to stop 21 people and search them under the Misuse of Drugs Act following positive indications from the dog.

“We also went into a few pubs early doors to search for drugs. This worked well as various drug seizures were made.”

Police officers also used swabs in toilet cubicles to identify where drugs were being used and concentrated.

Sergeant Lindsay Bromage said the tests are conducted with permission from licensees to help them cut down on drug use in their premises.

He said: “We conduct the tests and then feed back the results to the licensees. This enables them to target their resources and security in an effective manner to cut down on the use of drugs on their premises.”

Inspector Steve Maskrey, commander of Leek and Biddulph Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said the use of the cells helped combat public disorder.

He said: “Leek custody cells are reopened every Friday night. This is proving really useful in tackling low-level criminality, officers are arresting those few people who come into the town early in a drunken manner and commit acts of public disorder.

“They are then taken to Leek custody which diffuses potential violence that could occur later in the evening.”