Police in Cumbria have released a video showing a week of action which led to 20 arrests and drugs worth more than £50,000 seized.
Extra emphasis was placed on violent crime and drugs offences as teams of uniformed officers, detectives and staff from across north Cumbria combined to send a strong message to criminals.
Patrols in Penrith formed part of the operation.
Police in north Cumbria arrested 20 people, carried out a number of raids and seized drugs with a street value of more than £50,000 as they addressed community concerns.
Extra emphasis was placed on violent crime and drugs offences as teams of uniformed officers, detectives and staff from across north Cumbria combined to send a strong message to criminals.
As well as executing drugs warrants and targeting suspected criminals, officers engaged door-to-door with residents in Carlisle to listen to any concerns and offer crime-busting advice in a Streetsafe operation.
Penrith neighbourhood policing team also conducted high visibility reassurance patrols in the town centre, alongside further proactive patrolling of problem areas identified through community intelligence.
Chief inspector Richard Quinn said: “Our officers work round-the-clock for the community taking part in this type of action all-year-round.
“What this week of action has done is highlight this work and send out a clear warning message to criminals: We are no soft touch.”
Operation Driver, which ran from Monday until Sunday, was launched to tackle violent offending and drugs crime.
It started dramatically on Monday, March 8, when a man, 25, was arrested in Belah after a stop search.
Following this, officers conducted a warrant on Briar Bank and seized cocaine, cannabis, a machete and a lock knife.
The total value of the drugs in this part of the operation is estimated to be worth about £52,000.
Other results include:
- Three men arrested following a suspected fail-to-stop collision
- A man, 22, arrested on Engine Lonning, Carlisle, on suspicion of possession of a bladed article
- A man, 22, arrested on suspicion of burglary
- Another man, 23, arrested in connection with a burglary
- A man, 23, arrested in Bower Street, Carlisle, on suspicion of possessing drugs with intent to supply
- A 16-year-old boy arrested in Marks Avenue, Carlisle, on suspicion of violent offences
- Three people – two women, 37 and 48, and a man, 42 – arrested in Levens Drive, Carlisle on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled substance
- Three arrests made in connection with reported assaults
- Items seized for ongoing investigation following a warrant executed in Cant Crescent, Carlisle
- A man arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in the form of a baseball bat
- A man arrested on suspicion of burglary
- A man arrested on suspicion of malicious communications
- A man arrested on suspicion of harassment and criminal damage
- Two men, 30 and 24, arrested in Kingstown, Carlisle, on suspicion of theft and possession of a bladed article.
