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Tackling drug-related crime, rooting out dealers and disrupting supplies of drugs onto Wiltshire’s streets is a direct result of a regional, co-ordinated, campaign led by the south west region’s Police and Crime Commissioners.
In the latest iteration, three firearms, more than £33,000 worth of Class A drugs and £24,000 in illicit cash have been taken off the streets of Wiltshire.
PCC Philip Wilkinson has praised the work of Wiltshire Police and the four other police forces across the South West (Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire), alongside their Offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and the charity CrimeStoppers, which have been working collaboratively as part of Operation Scorpion.
This is the seventh phase of Scorpion which aims to combine police resources to create a 'Ring of Steel' across the region making it an uninhabitable environment for drugs and criminal gangs.
As part of the operation in Wiltshire, 176 disruptions were carried out - this is where the work of the Force and OPCC upsets any drug dealing activity, breaking a County Line or Lines and disrupting drug gang operations.
The week of action also included joint working with partners British Transport Police at local railway stations and the Metropolitan Police for our drugs work.
During the operation Wiltshire Police also found three children who were being exploited to run drugs as part of County Lines gangs and were missing from their homes from outside the county. They were safely returned.
In total, the operation, which ran from Monday 4 March to Sunday 10 March, achieved the following results for Wiltshire:
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “This iteration of Operation Scorpion has seen some great outcomes as a result of well planned and executed operations by Wiltshire Police and the other four Forces across a week of intensification.
“Operation Scorpion demonstrates a border-less approach to policing to reduce the serious harm and violence caused by drugs across the whole region, as drug crime isn’t just a problem in urban police areas.
“Drug crime, and the violence that usually accompanies it blights the lives of our residents and the communities they live in. By continuing to report your concerns to the police they are better placed to tackle the issues head on and take action as demonstrated by Operation Scorpion.
“I'm particularly concerned about the criminal exploitation of young people by drugs gangs and want to urge parents to not shy away from having the difficult conversations with their child if they're concerned. Parents must have open conversations with their children around County Lines, knife crime and associated criminality, and know what signs to look out for.”
Detective Superintendent Charlotte Tucker from Wiltshire Police said: "We are pleased with the results of this iteration of Operation Scorpion as our officers and staff managed to not only seize substantial amounts of illegal drugs and proceeds of crime like cash and assets, but also safeguarded many vulnerable people.
"We are attempting to make Wiltshire safer by taking illegal substances off the streets, arresting those who deal them as well as dismantling those criminal gangs and County Lines.
"Equally as important is the work we are doing to protect and help those vulnerable victims - often children and young adults - who are exploited to become part of these criminal networks. Our work this time has led to three children, who were from outside of our area, being returned safely to where they live.
"Safeguarding these vulnerable people is our priority along with protecting all in our communities.
"We know that those living in our towns and villages are often affected by this type of criminality which causes misery and harm to our communities.
"Our work doesn't stop at the end of this operation. We know that those who supply and distribute illegal drugs operate in a border-less way, creating complex networks of drugs lines across the region. We will continue to take a strong and robust stance against this sort of exploitative criminality.
"Our message is clear – Wiltshire and the South West is no place for drugs.”
Last week the OPCC published a video supporting the Check Your Children campaign, set up by the charity Owen’s World, which was established following the death of Owen Dunn who was fatally stabbed in Swindon in December 2022. You can watch the full video here.
You can report information anonymously to Fearless.org, CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website. Alternatively, you can report concerns by calling 101 or visiting the Wiltshire Police website.
To watch our #noplacefordrugs #MakingWiltshireSafer videos visit
South West regional crack down on drugs #NoPlaceForDrugs - YouTube
Tuesday 25 June 2024
Friday 15 March 2024
Monday 4 March 2024
Friday 20 October 2023
Tuesday 10 October 2023
Thursday 6 July 2023
Thursday 4 April 2023
Monday 4 July 2022
Saturday 2 April 2022
Monday 21 March 2022