Drug dealers and nuisance bikers have been targeted during a major police operation that has seen scores of officers disrupting their criminal activities.
Cleveland Police want Operation Artemis to send out a strong message to offenders and the local community that they are determined to reclaim the streets.
The latest day of action saw officers raiding addresses in Stockton and Billingham believed to be connected to drug dealing and illegal off-road bikers.
Assistant Chief Constable David Felton urged the officers to disrupt the activities of as many suspected criminals as possible.
Read next: Smirking predatory rapist abused his teenage victim leaving her traumatised
He said: “Can we make sure we make an impression on those horrible people who cause lots of pain and suffering to the decent people living in the area and that is what this is about.
“Please make sure that you are as professional as you can and as stern as you can but make their lives a misery because they make our lives a misery and cause loads of harm to the community.”
Drugs, cash, mobile phones, and electronic scales were recovered from an address on Norfolk Street after officers executed warrants as part of the long-running campaign.
Cleveland Police was supported by officers from the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) as they crack down on drug dealing gangs operating in the area.
Off-road nuisance
Two men, aged 28 and 24, and a 41-year-old woman were arrested at the address on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
Officers seized two quad bikes on Crescent Avenue in Billingham were seized for having no insurance, while four electronic bikes were also seized as part of the ongoing activity.
Nuisance off-road bikers causes endless misery for people as they tear around the streets and churn up fields and play areas.
Read more:
- Watch: Crack cocaine dealer caught red-handed in Middlesbrough
- Spurned lover threatened to post revenge pictures on Facebook following break-up
- Homeless man stabbed victim through his arm during unprovoked knife attack
Get all the latest crime and court updates, for less than the price of a coffee, with a Premium Plus digital subscription to The Northern Echo. Click here
Sergeant Gary Crookland, of Stockton’s neighbourhood policing team, said: “It a very difficult problem to solve. We have various ways, we have got our off-road bike unit, we have our drone unit but we are very much intelligence led - information comes into us and we react to it.
“The community at large realises it is a problem and it frustrates them because they can actively see criminal activity taking place on motorbikes and that’s what we are trying to respond to.”
A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving and possession of Class B drugs after a vehicle was stopped on Durham Road bypass.
A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of drug driving, no licence and no insurance after a vehicle was stopped on Rathnew Avenue.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here