Scores of suspected violent and organised criminals have been arrested by Kent Police officers during three days of raids.
The successes from a two day operation, initially planned to finish yesterday (June 20), continued into this morning with a further four people arrested from eight additional warrants.
In all 59 people have been arrested from a total of 54 warrants. More than 600 wraps of class A drugs and £27,000 in suspected criminal money has also been seized.
Assistant Chief Constable Nicola Faulconbridge said: “The volume of arrests and warrant activity carried out over the past three days sends out an unequivocal message that we have no tolerance for people who choose to become involved in violent or organised crime.
“Our activity has targeted those we suspect of committing crime and in the coming months we will continue our investigations to ensure that offenders are brought to justice in the courts.”
The raids were carried out by Kent Police officers alongside detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
This was mirrored by Essex Police, whose efforts in their county mean more than 100 suspects have been arrested by the two forces as part of the same operation.
Locations targeted in Kent have included Thanet, Dover, Tenterden, Folkestone, Dartford, Medway, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Canterbury and Gravesend.
Officers also travelled to several addresses in London to target those suspected of bringing crime across the border.
Notable seizures from the past three days include a samurai sword, cannabis hidden in cans disguised as fish food, an Audi S3 and designer goods worth more than £10,000, which is believed to have been bought with the proceeds of crime.
Assistant Chief Constable Faulconbridge added: “Members of the public can feel assured that Kent is a safe place and we are doing everything in our power to make the county a hostile environment for those intent on bringing crime to our communities. This includes working closely with our colleagues in Essex Police, who have achieved similar levels of success.
“Our proactive work has by no means come to an end. This recent surge of activity complements the approach we take on a daily basis with specialist officers who proactively work to identify and disrupt those who seek to commit crime in our communities.
“I would ask members of the public to join us in our efforts to remove weapon carriers and drug dealers from our streets by reporting their suspicions to us online or by calling 101. Alternatively call Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or 999 if a crime is in progress.”
I don’t suppose this has even scratched the surface in Thanet. We need a lot more proactivity to remove drug dealers from almost every street in Cliftonville West ward. Drug users are freely walking around from street to street buying and using their wares with no fear of being seen by anyone or stopped by a police officer. This is not a good community to feel safe in.
I feel you are missing the point. What have drug users got to do with scores of raids on those selling drugs. This isn’t a problem that is unique to Thanet. It may be one of the worst when it comes to opiate OD rates, but all the time we blindly follow drugs are bad sentiment, but lets ignore the very org that was set up to advise the government on policy.
If you want someone to blame for the violence and problems brought by drugs, then look at the government and on an international level, the United States. Alcohol and Tobacco are by far more dangerous to health, and alcohol damaging to the community than all class A drugs combined. You can check that as a statistic too. The problem arises because we believe that we should arrest people, instead of treating it as a health problem.
Outlawing anything creates a blackmarket, which in turn increases prices, ultimately leading to organised crime groups becoming involved. America has some of the most serve sentences when it comes to drug use and distribution. Yet has some of the highest rates of incarceration combined with one of the worst rates of addiction per capita, in the Western world.
I beg for anyone to form a reasonable, fact based argument on exactly how this is solving any of the problems associated with drugs. In the time since the war on drugs they have become easier to get, far purer and cheaper than ever before. I would also question, just how much you really know about drug use and dealing because I have been a heroin addict for 10 years, and have not once seen drug dealers or users freely walking around street to street. Buying & selling drugs on its own doesn’t create any reason to not feel safe. Unless of course you are actively involved, and even then you’re not going to be attacked randomly by crazy drug addicts who have smoked the devils weed.
Jay, I live in In Cliftonville, by Athelstan road. I have seen plenty of users and dealers walking freely about the streets .. I regularly phone the police to report dealers that are selling from right outside my front door.
The police should take a look at the teenage moped drivers in Thanet who are are delivering drugs. There is a network of of these moped driving kids delivering drugs and driving their mopeds stoned out their thick heads. It won’t be long before they kill someone. Perhaps the police should ask local taxi drivers what they know as they are escorting these local underage drug dealers around Thanet.
Absolutely there are 3 notable ones for sure also 1on a blue peddle bike and a family in the next road which the police can’t seem to get proof of dealing and the weapons carried on the clan they have taken a lot of the market in Ramsgate but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of dealers around here. The biggest problem is shortage of police and to many people won’t report the dealers because of fear I can see it in the faces of people who tell me what they see and it is a fear of not knowing if they will get cut up. We need more people to report them the clan I talk about have been raided before but only found for personal use amounts.
Cliftonville been a Dole DRug dump for 30 Plus years
nothing will change
A sad fact of life is that so long as the issues can be contained in the less desirable areas its seen as a good job. Police can arrest as fast as they want but get no support from a criminal justice system that does nothing to rehabilitate offenders. Police would rather know where problems are located and disrupt than break up gangs and then have to find the locations of those that fill the void. Council will not act against the usually rented property from which drug issues emanate.