Police arrest 26 people who were on the run and wanted for violent crimes against women in Kirklees

Kirklees Police’s newly formed Catch and Control Team and Operation Jemlock officers, an earlier project to reduce violent crime and knife crime, have started a blitz to root out suspects wanted for violent offences against women in Operation Tricehouse.

The teams took to the streets on Monday and have arrested 26 people so far as part of the new operation to target wanted offenders, but with a particular focus on those wanted for offences against women.

The operation is part of a number of activities across the force in a week of action relating to the abuse and violence of women.

Det Insp Dale Sawdon, who leads the new Catch and Control Team, said: “This is a new team formed to carry out assertive, proactive policing and my message to those who know they are wanted is simple. We are coming for you.

“This week’s operation has been in the works for a long time now and has been targeted this week to locate those who are wanted for violence against women. These and the other offenders are people who know they are wanted but have been avoiding justice while in some cases, continuing to offend.

While it is currently focused on Operation Tricehouse, the new Catch and Control Team has been formed as part of a shake-up of offender management in Kirklees. It is a new resource provided to hunt down known offenders who refuse to engage with the terms of their bail or prison licence and show no signs of wanting to rehabilitate.

The team will also assist Kirklees Neighbourhood Policing Teams to manage priority crime and be on hand to swamp an area where a crime trend, such as break-ins or car thefts, looks to be emerging.

It will make use of investigative police work, high tech tools such as ANPR and high visibility policing.

Supt Helen Brear of Kirklees District Police added: “We have been working with partners to reform offender management for a long time and it is brilliant news for communities that we have this new resource available in the district.

“The success of Operation Jemlock in reducing violent crime and knife crime shows the effectiveness a dedicated team can have when it is deployed in an area which has become a hotspot for criminal activity.

“This new team and our wider restructure of offender management from the prison stage onwards, will help us provide better support to those who want to rehabilitate, while making sure we can make life a misery for those who don’t.”