Police make drugs arrests and seize vehicles in Peterborough operation

Officers from teams across Peterborough neighbourhood policing conducted the operation to tackle crime across the south of the city.

The day of action, named Operation Damascus, was assisted by road policing officers and saw a number of vehicles seized and motoring offences dealt with, including five vehicles seized for having no tax, three for having no insurance and one for not having a valid MOT certificate.

Two drivers were reported for driving without a licence, one driver was reported for not wearing a seatbelt and another for causing an obstruction.

A 33-year-old man from Peterborough was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs following the execution of a warrant in Oundle Road yesterday morning, and 16 and 17-year-old boys from Peterborough were arrested for being concerned in the supply of drugs.

All three have been released under investigation.

Prior to the day of action PC Frank Martin, assisted by PCSOs, visited secondary schools in the south of Peterborough to raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime. They also visited primary schools to educate younger children about the ‘Be safe, be seen’ initiative to reduce the risk of being involved in a road collision.

Road safety officer PC Jon Morris and Jenny Wright from Peterborough City Council continued this work yesterday and visited Serpentine Green and Ortongate shopping centres to speak with shoppers about ‘Be safe, be seen’ and hand out high-vis reflective accessories for pedestrians and cyclists, and also speak about the dangers of drink-driving.

Fourteen volunteer police cadets along with two of their leaders also visited the two shopping centres to hand out purse bells to members of the public and speak with them about purse dipping and theft in the busy shopping period leading up to Christmas.

South Peterborough Sergeant Justin Howard, who co-ordinated the operation, said: “The operation was a huge success and it just goes to show what can be done when everyone works together. My team and I have been listening to what our communities want from us and this has led to us carrying out the day of action.

“We are planning on continuing this operation within the other two sectors in Peterborough over the coming months to continue to make a difference to all of our communities. We want the public to feel safe and we will do our best to arrest and disrupt those who are committing crime in our city.

“Operations like this are extremely important and I look forward to carrying out many more of these days of action in the future.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite joined the team in the afternoon, along with the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue team at Stanground, to carry out vehicle access checks to ensure emergency vehicles can safely pass through streets. He also visited the Ortongate Shopping Centre to assist crime reduction and road safety officers.

Mr Ablewhite said: “Yesterday was an excellent example of just how effective partnership working can be. I would like to thank all involved.”