Police moving with the times

This follows the startling admission that a quarter of murders in the region have a probable link to organised crime, a vile trade worth an estimated 2.5bn in Yorkshire alone.

The criminals – whose operations are conducted both locally and from the comfort of their mansions in Spain – have their tentacles everywhere, from the ultra violent drugs and protection rackets to the more sophisticated economic crimes.

The scale of the problem is frightening – guns are used to enforce the drugs trade, fraudsters are infiltrating companies and gangs target soft white collar middle managers to corrupt into doing their dirty work for them.

Different problems blight different parts of the region. West Yorkshire suffers money laundering and drugs issues, with Bradford the focus of the heroin trade. In South Yorkshire, detectives are battling gang warfare.

The task, from a policing perspective, is coming up with effective strategies to respond to these new challenges.

The drug lords and gang leaders do not just operate across Britain, they are international organisations with bases throughout the world and the police need to stay ahead of the game at all times.

The wheels are already in motion – next month a cross-border detective squad is to be created to try to stop the 200 criminal gangs that are said to be operating locally.

The region's four forces have formed a crack squad of surveillance-trained detectives who will work with a specialist unit with links to counter-terrorism officers, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs.

Police chiefs deserve credit for having the wisdom to put this elite team in place, but now they have to start the really tough job of hunting down these mobsters and bringing them to justice.