Did you know police seized almost £1.5million of drugs from Cumbria’s streets last year?

Cumbria Constabulary’s ‘Crime Command’ seized £1,419,429 worth of drugs destined for the county’s streets between June 2011 and May 2012.

The Constabulary is focusing on this department as part of its new ‘Did you know…?’ campaign which aims to raise awareness of the different departments within the Force that work around the clock to help support frontline policing and keep people safe.

Did you know… that, Cumbria Constabulary’s ‘Crime Command’:

·         Seized £1,419,429 worth of drugs destined for the county’s streets between June 2011-May 2012?

·         Seized almost twice as many drugs between June 2011-May 2012 compared to the previous year? (£1,419,429 compared to £781,881 worth of drugs between June 2010-May 2011)

·         Helped secure the convictions of 532 criminals for drugs, firearm and money laundering offences between June 2011-May 2012?

·         Has more than 300 detectives and staff working across the county to catch criminals and keep communities safe?

·         Have identified and are targeting more than 40 organised crime groups who are active in Cumbria?

Detective Superintendent Andy Slattery leads part of the Constabulary’s Crime Command. He said “Many people may not realise that more than 300 officers and staff work within the Crime Command in Cumbria.

“The department is split into several smaller departments that have specialist skills. It is spread across north, south and west Cumbria and we are divided into teams that focus on the supply of drugs, serious and organised crime, hi-tech crime, financial investigation and public protection.

“Crime Command used 13 per cent of the Constabulary’s budget last year which equates to approximately £ 13,500,000 which is divided up to ensure that we tackle the issues and crimes that have the most impact on people in Cumbria.

“The main focus of the department is tackling organised crime groups that operate in the county. Organised crime groups are people who work together to commit serious crimes on a regular basis. They are increasingly sophisticated and plan and co-ordinate their crimes to make as much money as they can.

“We have staff and officers who work on gathering intelligence from our communities to identify the criminals who are causing the most harm in our neighbourhoods.

“The majority of the organised crime groups we are targeting as a priority are involved in large scale drugs trafficking. Drug abuse can destroy lives, families and friendships and can have long lasting effects on communities.

“It is common to see people who start taking drugs get sucked into a life of crime which can spiral out of control – like their addiction. People get desperate to fund their habit and, unable to hold down jobs under the influence; turn to a life of crime.

“Tackling the high level dealers who peddle drugs in Cumbria is our priority. Detectives work all year round to gather intelligence on which organised crime groups are operating in Cumbria and take positive action to disrupt their crimes and seize drugs – before they hit our streets.

“Last year we destroyed almost £1.5million worth of drugs that were destined for our streets, which is a great achievement. We will continue to focus on catching drug dealers and will work alongside partner agencies who offer support to those addicted to drugs in Cumbria.”

Did you know…? continues to focus on the Crime Command next week when it will highlight the work that goes on in the Constabulary’s hi-tech crime, financial investigation and Crime Scene Investigation departments.

Posters raising awareness of the work of the Constabulary will be distributed across police stations and in key places amongst communities such as libraries, doctors’ surgeries and leisure centres throughout the campaign.

The campaign will be extended onto the Constabulary’s social networking accounts with dedicated ‘tweetdays’ and webchats.