Hull Churches Home from Hospital holding REVIVE sessions
14th January 2022
Showcasing Neighbourhood Police action
17th January 2022Hull: Drugs dog joins Neighbourhood Team on Avenues patrol
The Hull West Neighbourhood Policing Team continued its deployment of a high-visibility drugs dog operation in the city on Saturday 15 January 2022.
Every day, neighbourhood policing plays a crucial role in tackling the issues we know are important to our communities and this Neighbourhood Policing Week is part of a nationwide event to showcase actions that are constantly taking place within our neighbourhoods.
You can keep up with the latest news direct from your local officers by looking out for the #NeighbourhoodPolicingWeek and #WeekOfAction hashtags on social media.
The high-visibility drugs dog operation is a successful initiative that is regularly carried out around the Avenues area of Hull.
PC Phil Williamson led the activity on Saturday and said: “As the Community Beat Manager for the Avenues Ward, I have been using a problem-solving approach to tackling some of the issues in the local area. I will continue to utilise different options when addressing these issues raised in the local community. As a team, we have used this approach a number of times, and I hope this sends a message to those involved in the supply and use of drugs that this criminality won’t be tolerated and continues as a priority for the local Neighbourhood Policing Team.”
The operation on Saturday once again saw PCs, PCSOs and Special Constables patrolling key routes through the city following a passive drugs dog, with further support from our partners at ReNew.
This high-visibility approach looks striking and it is meant to. It acts as a way of identifying people who may be supplying or carrying drugs, and can also act as a deterrent to those involved in such crimes.
“On Saturday, we carried out 10 stop and searches. We arrested one male for possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply as well as money laundering. Additionally, we made five seizures of drugs, including an amount of cannabis. We also issued two cautions and seized a knife,” added PC Williamson.
In addition to identifying and searching individuals that officers believe to be in possession of or involved in the supply of drugs, the operation also assists with intelligence gathering.
Key routes covered included Princes Avenue, Queens Road, Newland Avenue, Pearson Park, Beverley Road and the old railway track that runs from Duesbery Street to Beverley Road.
PC Williamson is pleased with the positive response from members of the public: “We continue to receive great feedback from the public. They have told us that they are reassured that we are acting upon the information we receive, and are looking to utilise an evidence-based policing approach to deter drug use in the area. It has been fantastic to hear and, given that this is the third time that we have done this in the west Hull area, we will continue to develop Operation Forager going ahead.
“We pride ourselves on being a community focused organisation, and the feedback received from the local community drives our priorities. As a force, we have also committed to knocking on every door within the Humberside force area through our Humber Talking initiative. This shows that we use that information provided by the local community to target those engaging in criminal behaviour.”
PC Williamson continued: “None of it would have been possible without the dedication of everyone involved, so I would like to pass on my thanks to all those who participated in the week, including police constables and PCSOs from both Hull West and Hull Central Neighbourhood Policing Teams, in addition to colleagues from British Transport Police.
“There were some fantastic results with education and out-of-court disposals used to deal with offenders. I continue to be incredibly proud of the hugely professional approach taken by my colleagues when undertaking these tasks. I am confident that these results have already made our streets safer.”
If you are concerned about drug-related crime in your area, please speak to your local team or call our non-emergency 101 line. If you’d rather not give your name, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.