Shropshire police team targets drug crimes
A priority policing team is continuing to work to drive drug problems out of towns in north Shropshire.
The North Local Policing Priority team for West Mercia Police is working its way around the towns in the north of the county in an effort to tackle County Lines operations.
A team is also working in the south of the county to help stamp out problems with drug use there.
On Friday a team of seven officers, along with three marked police cars, spent the day in Oswestry carrying out a string of operations.
In total officers made four welfare visits to addresses that have been ‘cuckooed’, or taken over by criminals involved with dealing drugs.
Other work included five stop searches, two vehicles searches, two drug wipes, a strip search and an arrest after a driver tested positive for cannabis and cocaine.
Presence
Detective Sergeant Lee Medlam, who leads the north team, said they were becoming more of a presence in the town in the battle against drug issues, and would continue to conduct similar work in the towns all around the north of the county.
He said: “We have been up to Oswestry in the last two weeks to tackle the issue, but everywhere is a problem and a priority.
“We have been keeping a foot presence in the town to tackle the drugs issue, and on Friday we carried out these operations.
“By having these days it helps us keep a presence in the town, and people are aware of the team in the area now.”
DS Medlam added: “We will be targeting other towns – Wem, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch – to tackle the problems.”
The action in Oswestry on Friday comes just a week after further operations relating to the County Lines drugs network were carried out.
DS Medlam said his team works alongside the team tackling County Lines, adding: “What we also do is working alongside that team, and build up a picture for them and gather intel, which helps them to build cases.”
