Neighbourhood officers in Swindon have seen some positive results in their attempts to tackle serious and organised crime in Eldene in recent weeks.
Today, officers carried out a number of warrants which led to the arrest of one woman in her 30s at an address in Kennedy Drive on suspicion of a series of vehicle break-ins in Badbury Park.
The warrants were planned to tackle gang crime in east Swindon which has continued to blight the lives of many residents in recent months. A number of items were seized today including clothing, mobile phones and class B drugs and enquiries will continue.
Today’s work followed some positive arrests recently, which have resulted in a significant amount of drugs being seized.
On Wednesday, (12/08) officers spotted drug users loitering around Kennedy Drive near to the footbridge over Dorcan Way. A man in his 20s was detained for a Section 23 search and class A drugs, cash and a mobile phone were located – he was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Nearby, between 30 and 50 wraps of class A drugs and cash were located. He has since been released under investigation pending forensic results.
And last week, on August 4, officers arrested a man in his 20s on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs in Haydon Wick after an estimated £15,000 worth of class A drugs were found inside a property.
The address was identified after residents reported suspicious activity taking place – through police enquiries it was determined that the address was being used as a base to assist with the supply of drugs in the Eldene area. The man arrested has since been released under investigation while further enquiries continue.
Insp Barry Reed said: “These were significant arrests and thanks to the vigilance of the public in Haydon Wick, led to a large quantity of class A drugs being seized which would otherwise have had a devastating impact on communities had they reached our streets, and the hands of vulnerable drug users.
“I know the impact that this group of individuals is continuing to have on the community of Eldene and this will not be tolerated. Every day we are continuing to do all that we can to tackle those intent on causing issues within the area – they are regularly involved in anti-social behaviour, they have a propensity to violence and they will exploit the young and vulnerable as they attempt to expand their group of members and this will not be tolerated.
“We will continue to work alongside our partner agencies to deal with these people and put an end to gang crime in Eldene.”
Supt Phil Staynings added: “This ongoing proactive activity will have a positive impact on our law abiding communities as well as the small number of individuals who choose to cause harm. Serious and organised crime is happening within our county and organised crime groups continue to operate, despite the recent lockdown restrictions in place. It remains a Force priority for us and the work carried out today in Swindon, as well as the work taking place every day, is extremely important in our fight against this type of criminality. It falls under Project Optimise which refers to our work in tackling serious and organised crime in Swindon and Wiltshire.”
To report suspected drug activity or criminality in your neighbourhood, call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
You can find more information about how you can report suspicious activity where you live by going to our website: https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/article/1112/Suspect-drug-dealing-
