WOOLSTON: Five premises raided in crackdown

8:37am Saturday 24th May 2008

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POLICE have carried out a week of high profile raids and stop and search checks in a major crackdown on drugs in Southampton.

As part of the Home Office's National Tackling Drugs Week, 20 people have been arrested for drug offences and multiple batches of Class A and Class B drugs have been seized.

Five raids have taken place across the city.

Yesterday two people were arrested after officers from Bitterne police station targeted two homes in the Woolston area.

In Tankerville Road a woman and young child were detained as officers searched a house and round the corner in Wharncliffe House, officers smashed through the front door of a flat.

Once inside they found the tenant was away from the building and after a thorough search with police sniffer dogs discovered a quantity of cannabis.

Uniformed and plain clothes officers have carried out stop and search checks on 23 people resulting in six street warnings for possession of cannabis, a police caution for cannabis and one person being charged with possession of cannabis.

The search operation also resulted in the arrest of a man for stealing a satellite navigation system from a vehicle in the New Forest after it was found in his car.

Areas of the city were targeted following complaints from neighbours and evidence gathered from Police Community Support Officers on where drug dealing was taking place.

DS Rob Cooper said the week had been a success but it was not the end of their fight against drugs in the city.

"This week is a Home Office initiative to show members of the public what we are doing about drugs and how neighbourhood police officers are getting involved in tackling drug problems in the community," he said.

"It has been a success with a number of arrests but it isn't the end and we will continue to do it. If people anywhere suffer from drugs in their neighbourhood they need to get in touch with us so we can improve their quality of life," he added.

The week of high profile police action comes after an old people's home in Harefield was raided and more than £10,000 worth of cannabis was found.

It also follows a series of raids as part of Operation Phoenix, which involved 800 officers and 37 properties raided and more than 50 people arrested.

Operations took place across Hampshire and in Southampton concentrated on dealers of Class A drugs. The full results are expected to be announced next week.