DRUGS were discovered and a dangerous dog seized after police raided homes in Worcester.

Officers seized illegal substances at the houses in Warndon, as well as detaining a dangerous dog, while two men were arrested on suspicion of fraud offences.

Despite the raids, which were carried out over the past two months, a leading police officer says the area is actually a lot safer than many people think.

Officers from the safer neighbourhood team searched properties following concerns raised by the community.

The police say drugs were found at 14 homes in Carlisle Road, Chatcombe Drive, Walnut Avenue, Randwick Drive, Brookthorpe Close, Avon Road and Teme Road following warrants which were executed under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A dangerous dog was also seized from a house in Bath Road, while officers also assisted members of the City of London Police in arresting two men from the Hill Avenue and Canterbury Road area on suspicion of fraud offences.

Sergeant Edd Williams, of Warndon’s safer neighbourhood team (SNT), said: “The majority of the addresses we have visited fall under the Warndon and Gorse Hill SNTs which are two of the police force’s priority policing areas. We are doing all we can to tackle criminality in these locations by acting proactively on the information that we receive from the community and using that intelligence to carry out warrants where possible.

“Our recent activity has resulted in an 86 per cent positive strike rate which means that either someone was arrested or drugs, cash or stolen property were seized from the properties we went to.

“However, while we recognise that the Warndon area does have problems with deprivation which often leads to criminality, the majority of people who live there are law-abiding citizens and it is just the minority who are involved in criminal activity.”

Sgt Williams said Warndon was actually a lot safer than many people think with crime in the area down last year by almost a quarter compared with 2011.

Anti-social behaviour was down by 16 per cent.

“As the SNT sergeant, I am committed to maintaining this downward trend and my team will continue to take a proactive approach towards tackling crime in the neighbourhood,” he said.

“In order to do this though, we rely on information from local people who are the eyes and ears of the police.”

He wants anyone with information about criminal behaviour in Warndon to call 101.