Holme Wood, Bradford: More than £3.5 million worth of drugs taken off streets
A policing team along with partners have seized more than £3.5 million pounds worth of cannabis and class A drugs from the streets of Bradford.
A dedicated operation was set up in November 2022 in the Holme Wood area to tackle criminality and anti-social behaviour.
Op Sweetgill not only involved Police but partners including Bradford Council, Incommunities, NHS, Volunteers and Environmental Health.
In the last three years more than 600 people have been arrested.
Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing team have executed numerous warrants which relate to Class A Drugs, Class B drugs and theft warrants.
More than 80 kilograms of drugs have been seized in that time with an estimated value of around £3.5 million pounds. 58 people have been charged with offences and 31 people remain under investigation.
Around 200 vehicles have been seized and 66 bikes seized. More than 1,400 stop searches carried out and 3700 intel reports submitted.
Inspector Adam Beecroft who heads up Bradford South’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This operation has gone from strength to strength showing out continued commitment to making Holme Wood a better and safer place to live.
“The results have seen a reduction in the amount of calls for service in the area. We know that crime and anti-social behaviour is a huge concern for residents in the area, through working with partners we are continuing to work tirelessly to tackle the problem.
“This is not just about enforcement, it’s about building trust and long-term resilience in the area through the community safety partnership.
“I would continue to appeal to residents of Bradford South to report issues to us so we can be proactive and deal with it.
“We’ve arrested, charged and remanded some prolific people. I hope this sends a strong message to people who choose to commit crime that it will not be tolerated and we will do everything we can to make the area a safer place to live and work.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atkinson of Bradford District Serious and Organised Crime said: “We have dedicated detectives working collaboratively within this Neighbourhood Policing Team supporting the investigations into these serious crimes. This is enabling the team to provide better responses and investigations into these community concerns.”
Councillor Kamran Hussain, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “We are committed to making Holme Wood a safer and more welcoming place for everyone. We work in close partnership with the police, get out into the community to talk to residents and ensure their voices are heard and concerns acted upon. Our work with youth services, housing, and local schools is helping to prevent anti-social behaviour before it starts.”