We’ve made streets safer, say police, after dawn drugs raids

POLICE say they have made “a significant dent” in the drug-dealing fraternity of one of the region’s most deprived areas after a series of pre-planned dawn raids.
Police force entry with a chainsaw at an address in Eastwood, Rotherham. Picture: Paul David DrabblePolice force entry with a chainsaw at an address in Eastwood, Rotherham. Picture: Paul David Drabble
Police force entry with a chainsaw at an address in Eastwood, Rotherham. Picture: Paul David Drabble

Officers used chainsaws to enter the homes of alleged dealers and arrested seven people on suspicion of being involved in the supply of Class A drugs in Eastwood, South Yorkshire.

The planned strikes follow a six-month covert investigation in response to fears raised by residents and local councillors of “disproportionate” levels of drug dealing that have blighted the village.

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South Yorkshire Police now plan to install a team of officers in Eastwood to ensure no other crack cocaine and heroin suppliers arrive to fill the void left by the two-day operation, nicknamed Catchall.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Chapman, who led the operation, said yesterday: “Several months of detailed and sensitive covert investigations, targeting the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, have come to fruition this week.

“A large number of dedicated officers have been involved in the investigation which resulted in the series of planned strikes yesterday and today.

“We have seven people in custody and the streets are a safer place as a result.”

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After an early-morning briefing, officers yesterday swooped on Hatherley Road, Selwyn Street, Coleridge Road, Jennings Close and Weetwood Road in Eastwood, Rotherham, and in Town Street, Sheffield.

Two men aged 22 and 20, and two 17-year-olds were arrested yesterday while two men, aged 22 and 25, and a 21-year-woman were detained following an additional warrant executed in Hatherley Road on Monday.

Mr Chapman said there was now a “dedicated proactive team in place, set up to focus on tackling this issue head-on, in liaison with our partners and other agencies.”

He added: “Eastwood is like many other estates in the country. At this present time it has come to our attention as being an area with a disproportionate drug problem and as a result we have acted.

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“We have had residents and members of the public say to us ‘what are the police doing about drugs in Eastwood?’.

“I have known for six months that we had something up our sleeves but couldn’t mention it.

“Drugs is a strong driver of all serious acquisitive crimes. You are never going to eradicate it completely, but it follows that if you put a lid on it you will keep your acquistive crime problem under control.

“From my point of view I am confident that we have made a significant dent in drug-dealing activity in the Eastwood area.

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“I can’t say that we have eradicated it, we can never eradicate it, it is a never-ending, relentless war on drugs.

“By making this dent in it we are creating a void and the task is to make sure we keep on the pressure and don’t allow anyone to fill that void.”

In 2010 a report ranked Rotherham the 53rd most deprived area out of 326 districts in England.

It found that Rotherham East, which includes Eastwood, East Dene and parts of both Clifton and Herringthorpe and has a population of over 13,000, is the most deprived ward in the town.

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In a separate case, a 32-year-old man has appeared in court charged in connection with a cannabis grow in Doncaster.

Officers executing a warrant at an address in Ronald Road, Balby, on Monday discovered 278 cannabis plants in three of the bedrooms and the loft. Viet Nimh Vo, of no fixed address, was charged with the production of cannabis.

Anyone with information about the supply and distribution of drugs in South Yorkshire is urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.