A TOUGH new police command team has sent out a stern message to dealers and other criminals after seizing £21,000 of drugs in just a week during a series of hard-hitting raids.

The team from West Mercia Police has carried out 16 drugs raids across the area in the last week, carrying out 13 arrests across Worcester, Malvern, Droitwich, Evesham and more rural locations, including Suckley and Hallow as part of Operation Cavalry.

As part of their operation West Mercia Police has seized class A drugs and class B drugs including crack cocaine, cannabis, diazepam and methadone with a street value of £21,000 and £12,000 and an imitation firearm and a large machete.

The warrants were all executed between Monday, March 18 and Friday, March 22, leading to arrests for possession of cannabis with intent to supply and money laundering, arrests for possession with intent to supply class A drugs. In Suckley, 21 cannabis plants were seized and two people were arrested for cultivating cannabis with intent to supply.

Over the same period the force has also carried out six warrants leading to six arrests on people suspected of possessing indecent images of children and stepped up night patrols in Worcester, placing an extra six officers on the streets to tackle violence and anti-social behaviour on our streets and stepping up high visibility patrols to reduce burglary.

Superintendent Mark Travis, who has only been in post two months as South Worcestershire policing commander, said tackling drugs was important for reducing acquisitive crime - theft and burglary which can be fuelled by drug addiction.

He said: “We have had some great feedback and comments from the public, especially to the officers undertaking the search warrants.” He also said developing this relationship with the public would ultimately generate more intelligence for the police about drugs.”

“We have been working flat out to disrupt criminality. I want us to look at intelligence and understand where we think threats may occur and be in a position to tackle those threats when they’re emerging. We have sent a message to all those people engaged in the drugs business.”

He said although they were not dealing with ‘Colombian drugs cartels’ in Worcestershire drugs still had a significant impact on people’s quality of life here and there was a victim at the end of every drugs chain.

DI Stuart Murphy, new head of the pro-active team, said the success they had experienced so far was proving to be ‘infectious’. He said: “If we can keep on top of this, it will make a difference. The local residents do come out of their homes when they see someone in handcuffs being taken out of a house - and they do engage with us.”

Work has also been carried out to reduce burglaries, including high visibility patrols and taking drugs of the street, which can fuel this type of offence. Some of this work involves “integrated offender management” to change the behaviour of the most prolific offenders at its root and break the cycle of crime.

The team says, though a combination of such measures, burglary is down by 28.7 per cent on this time last year.

If you have information which could help the police call them on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.