£3m of drugs taken off streets by police

8:52am Thursday 8th May 2008

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Drugs with a street value of more than £3 million have been seized in the Keighley area in the past year, the KN can reveal.

Cannabis makes up the bulk of the total, with £2.6 million worth being recovered. Twenty-nine cannabis factories were found.

And 373 people were arrested for drugs offences, with just over half being held for trafficking Class A substances.

The figures were obtained exclusively by the Keighley News as the Bradford District Drugs Team revealed a hugely successful year.

District-wide, officers seized drugs worth more than £6 million - three times more than in the previous year - and arrested 441 people.

Calls to the Dob in a Dealer hotline from members of the public in the former Keighley police division, now Airedale and Bradford North, totalled 784.

Det Insp Neil Benstead, head of the drugs' team, said its efforts relied heavily on information from the public and he urged people to continue to come forward.

"We are committed to driving drug dealers out of the area and out of business," he said.

"It is encouraging to know that people are prepared to report drug dealing but this must happen. If anyone has concerns about drug dealing in their area but hasn't contacted the police then I would appeal to them to ring us.

"The Dob in a Dealer line - 0800 555111 - is anonymous and free and it won't show up on any phone bills or records. It gives people the chance to voice their suspicions without the fear of reprisals." A survey of the district's residents has shown that since the launch of the drugs crackdown in 2002, there has been a year-on-year increase of police activity against dealers. And more and more people believe that fear of crime has reduced as a result of the initiative.

Det Insp Benstead added: "We are determined to work alongside our partners to maintain this success, addressing drug-related issues at all levels through prevention, education, enforcement and treatment.

"We are staying one step ahead of suspected dealers thanks to the information we receive from the public.

"We are under no illusions and accept some drug dealers will continue to be active throughout the district - our promise is to move with them using innovative tactics to disrupt and arrest them.

"Drugs and drug-related crime cause fear in our communities and people have a right to feel safe and secure in their own homes."