Rural officers seize £1 million of cannabis in Cambridgeshire in just one year

Nearly 40 cannabis factories worth more than £1 million have been raised by police officers in rural Cambridgeshire in the past year.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Apr 2020, 12:28 BST
It's been a busy year for the RCAT officersIt's been a busy year for the RCAT officers
It's been a busy year for the RCAT officers

Cambridgeshire Police’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) has dismantled 39 cannabis factories and seized plants worth more than £1.2 million in a busy year of crime enforcement.

They also secured 83 prosecutions for various offences, given £16,748 worth of fines and dealt with cases resulting in driving bans totalling nearly 10 years.

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In addition, 31 items of stolen farm machinery, including plant and trailers, were recovered over the year (March 2019-April 2020)

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RCAT Sergeant Craig Flavell said: “We’ve had a very busy 12 months and achieved some exceptional results, which are demonstrated in the statistics and show how committed the team is to tackling criminality within the rural communities.

“The hare coursing season was particularly challenging and saw the team issue almost 200 dispersals and summons 42 suspects to court.

“With the latest edition of drone capability and armed with a new fleet of vehicles we are prepared for a summer of proactive enforcement while also supporting other departments in the Covid-19 crisis.”

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The team comprises nine officers and staff working across Cambridgeshire. They work all year round, combating theft, heritage crime, hunting, rural and wildlife crimes and working alongside partner agencies including the local and county councils, RSPCA, Environment Agency and Crown Prosecution Service.