Police raid properties across Shropshire in major crime crackdown
Armed police in riot gear forced their way into on suspected burglars' homes using battering rams across Shropshire as part of a major crime crackdown.
Officers swooped on homes in Shrewsbury, Market Drayton, Ludlow and Whitchurch.
Properties were searched for stolen property or illegal drugs as part of an on-going police initiative called Citadel.
Nine people, including one woman, were arrested during yesterday's operation.
Three of the raids were carried out in Shrewsbury, at addresses on York Road, Harlescott, Whitehouse Gardens in Ditherington and The Dana near the town centre
Police also raided properties in Sailsbury Court in Market Drayton, Castle Court in Whitchurch and Sandpits Avenue in Ludlow.
Citadel was set up as a direct response to a surge in burglaries across the West Mercia force area since April.
Between April 1 and September 9, 351 burglaries were recorded in Shropshire – more than 100 above the target figure.
But police chiefs said the on-going Citadel initiative had helped to cut the level of burglaries in the county in the past few months.
Detective Inspector Pete Brophy, head of Shropshire's burglary unit, said yesterday's raids were designed to act as a warning to criminals.
