Hundreds of arrests, drugs gangs smashed and £1.5m taken from criminals’ pockets – Cumbria police has revealed its work in the last 12 months to tackle serious and organised crime.
The force launched Operation Alliance to address the misery caused by gangs and criminals – from bringing drugs into the county to exploiting the vulnerable online.
Officers joined forces with other law enforcement and partner agencies and said Operation Alliance would continue during 2023.
In just the last few weeks, the latest results of these types of investigations saw two separate major drugs seizures made. Officers seized cannabis with a street value of £890,000 after stopping a van on the M6 and police made a significant seizure of illicit pharmaceutical drugs in Carlisle.
Over the course of last year, police said they had also:
- Seized drugs with an estimated street value of nearly £4m.
- Increased the number of arrests made and warrants executed by the unit tackling cyber crime and online offending by 40 per cent, compared to two years ago.
- Seized suspected illegally-held cash worth a total of £1.5m.
- Carried out about 120 interventions with victims of fraud or financial abuse, leading to about £550,000 returned to Cumbrian victims of crime.
- Secured confiscation orders through the courts of illegally-made cash worth about £500,000.
- Secured numerous lengthy jail sentences for serious crime offenders throughout the north, west and south of the county.
Detective Superintendent Ian Hussey said: “Our officers work all year round to protect Cumbria against serious and organised crime.
“Throughout the last year operations have seen organised crime groups jailed, drugs taken out of circulation, online offenders sentenced and the disruption or dismantling of criminal enterprises across the county.
“But the work to protect the public against serious and organised crime does not just focus on drugs and catching drug dealers and traffickers.
“Our unit dedicated to stopping and catching cyber criminals and protecting people online hugely increased its number of warrants and arrests as it dealt with an area of crime that is growing all the time.
“Alongside the arrests and prosecutions, we also took action to safeguard many people who we suspected were at risk.
“Our work around economic crime has led to hundreds of thousands of pounds being returned to Cumbrian victims of fraud or other types of financial abuse.”
Drugs crime
Several cannabis factories have been uncovered across the county, including a £1.2m cannabis factory in Carlisle city centre. All involved in this enterprise were jailed.
Five arrests and cocaine seized with an estimated value of £25,000 as part of investigations into a suspected drugs conspiracy in the Carlisle area.
Cyber crime
Cumbria Constabulary’s cyber and digital crime unit is funded by Cumbria police and crime commissioner, Peter McCall. In the last year, officers in the unit have:
- Made 38 arrests.
- Carried out 28 search warrants.
- Safeguarded 108 children.
- Seen an increase in arrests and warrants of 40 per cent from 2020.
Road crime
The officers in the county’s roads crime unit have continued to make significant seizures of cash and drugs following stops and searches of vehicles.
Cash seizures alone have totalled more than £1.2m in the last year.
Economic crime
More than 50 separate cash seizures are currently being investigated.
A number of account freezing orders are in place linked to money laundering or fraud enquiries.
Serious and organised crime
Officers have successfully obtained 25 Serious Crime Prevention Orders against suspects linked to organised crime groups operating in the county.
These orders are designed to prevent continued involvement in serious crime and prohibit certain conduct and behaviour.
Officers proactively police compliance of these orders and, if breached, enforce the law with a view to returning them to prison.
County lines drugs crime
A pilot scheme in south Cumbria introduced the dedicated role of County Lines Prevent Co-ordinator.
The role is designed to work closely with partners to disrupt the county lines business model by prevention and diversion. They work to directly engage with those vulnerable to being victimised or criminalised, with the objective of making the operating ground of crime groups hostile and reducing demand more generally.
Disrupting criminals
Work across police departments saw a campaign of intensified disruption take place in May last year.
It focussed on high harm drug supply, online child abuse and targeting of wanted people.
During the campaign, officers:
- Executed 11 drugs warrants.
- Arrested 18 people on suspicion of drugs-related offences.
- Seized the equivalent of 2,000 street deals of heroin, 50 crack cocaine deals and ‘supply quantities’ of powder cocaine and cannabis, while also recovering illicit pharmaceuticals.
- Took more than £5,000 cash, mobile phones and weapons including knuckles dusters and knives out of criminal circulation.
- Directly engaged with nearly 700 residents to appeal for ongoing support to disrupt drugs offences.
Det Supt Hussey added: “Cumbria remains one of the safest places in the country – but we are never complacent when it comes to dealing with crime.
“The constabulary has had a lot of success dealing with serious and organised crime in Cumbria in recent years. Work with our partners has led to people being taken out of the reach of these organised crime groups and safeguarded.
“This is what our officers do day-in, day-out to tackle and deter crime and keep people safe. But to keep up that work we need the information and intelligence to keep coming to us. Help us to protect your communities.”
