Police target drug operations in raids
OFFICERS MAKE ARRESTS IN SWOOP ON PROPERTIES
DOZENS of police officers descended on homes in Nottingham and Eastwood in an operation aimed at tackling drug crimes.
As part of Operation Reacher, 40 police officers, some in plain clothes, were deployed to Eastwood, where two arrests were made.
Officers searched properties in Scargill Walk, Princes Street and Cultivation Road following extensive investigations into the supply of class A drugs.
A gate was kicked in by police in Cultivation Road while other officers also searched an address in Scargill Walk.
Police also visited a house in Princes Street but nobody answered the door to officers. Later, police broke down the door of a home off Wellington Street where they handcuffed a man to speak to in relation to the operation.
The Post joined the police’s Operation Reacher Rushcliffe Sergeant James Ross in an unmarked car working alongside the teams carrying out drug raids.
He pointed out groups of young people in Nottingham Road watching the fleet drive by.
He said they often warn residents who might be involved in drug dealing that police are in the area, alerting them to hide somewhere outside of their own home.
Officers in a total of 11 police vehicles departed Giltbrook Retail Park at 8am and made two arrests - one male in Moon –Crescent, Eastwood, and another in Hilltop Rise, Newthorpe.
Residents living alongside areas rife with problems surrounding drug use told the Post they were pleased to see a large police presence in the area.
Operation Reacher is designed to
react dynamically to community concerns and build trust and confidence the police will stand shoulder to shoulder with residents to make communities safer.
Ken Woodhead, an Eastwood town councillor, said: “I’ve been campaigning about this for a long time.
“I am happy about it, the police being here and sorting it.”
Mr Woodhead, who has lived in the area for 18 years, said: “I love living down here because I love some of the people in the community.
“But I am fed up of the issues – we just don’t want it here. It ruins lives.”
Resident Aileen Pearson, 78, added: “I have lived here for 23 years and it used to be lovely around here.
“It has changed a lot over the years. There is a lot of noise in the night from the young people so I am glad the police are here.”
Inspector Simon Riley, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for the Broxtowe borough, said: “Our new Operation Reacher team are rapidly making their presence felt by getting out and about and cracking down on organised crime.
“They are already proving to be immensely effective by working closely with our neighbourhood policing team to target offenders who are causing misery in our communities as well as tackling the local policing priorities that our residents have told us matter most to them.
“Drugs blight our communities and we know the significant negative impact they have on people’s lives.
“The selling of drugs is often linked to violence on our streets and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
“We will not tolerate this and will continue to disrupt the activities of those involved and work hard to bring them to justice.
“You can expect to see a lot more of our Operation Reacher team as they become increasingly integrated in the borough.”
A further arrest was made for assault when a fight broke out off Albert Street between two men not connected to the operation.