Yahoo News 124 arrests and shops ordered to shut in huge Shelton crime blitz
Police have arrested 124 suspects in a huge crime crackdown in one Stoke-on-Trent neighbourhood. Just this morning cops carried out warrants around Shelton as part of the ongoing operation.
Now the force has revealed how over the past 53 days officers have been aiming to break up organised crime in the area as they aim to 'drive offenders out' of the neighbourhood. In the early hours of this morning (November 22) and cops made eight arrests after raiding properties in not just Shelton but in Hartshill, Etruria, Burslem, and Kingsley Holt, while a vehicle was also searched.
As reported by StokeonTrentLive, following those stings, which saw suspected heroin seized along with £15,000 in cash, seven men and a woman, aged between 30 and 46, were arrested. Police chiefs say they have put the attention on the streets around Shelton and Hanley Park to address community concerns while disrupting criminality.
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It represents the latest phase of the ongoing Making Great Places initiative which has seen Staffordshire Police team up with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to target hotspots in the Properties. The seven-week sting around Shelton has seen a total of 124 arrests, which includes those detained following Friday morning's raids in and around the Potteries.
A total of 34 defendants have been charged with six released under investigation. Meanwhile others have been dealt with through youth offending referrals or community resolutions.
Over the last couple of months and scores of homes of have been raided with 'dangerous weapons' and drugs being seized alongside cannabis factories being ripped apart. Meanwhile road policing officers have stopped 24 vehicles in the area, dishing out 15 traffic reports, seizing one vehicle and handing out two fixed penalty notices.
StokeonTrentLive had reported earlier this month how a checkpoint was operating on Leek Road with motorbike cops hitting the streets. Meanwhile the city council has cleared 60 locations targeted by fly-tippers while environmental health officials carried out 14 unannounced food hygiene checks. The local authority has also served four closure notices over the illegal sale of tobacco and vapes.
Highways crews also repaired 45 'defects' on roads around the area. A sweep of Hanley Park also saw a knife and 'drug paraphernalia' being found.
The sting in Shelton under the Making Great Places banner comes after a similar crackdown took place in Fenton. Over that three-week spell 40 suspects were arrested and nine addresses raided.
Police and council leaders say the next steps are to work 'more closely' with residents and traders to stop criminals from returning and resuming their illicit operations.
Chief Superintendent Elliott Sharrard-Williams, who oversees policing in Stoke-on-Trent, is pleased by the results from across Shelton and Fenton but says 'we have much more to do'.
He said: “We’ve been using all of the tactics we can muster with partners to stamp out crime and anti-social behaviour so we can deliver positive results for the communities we proudly serve in Shelton and Hanley Park. Making Great Places is a gradual process. It starts by police and council enforcement teams being proactive and taking the fight to those who commit crime in our city. The results so far are pleasing but it’s the start of the journey as we continue to work to build a safer city with our partners. I want communities in Stoke-on-Trent to know that we are listening to your concerns and continuing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We have much more to do, but the results from this phase of Making Great Places initiative coupled with the 48 per cent increase in arrests across the city since the start of the year mean that we are going in the right direction."
Community leaders have welcomed the crackdown. City council leader Jane Ashworth said: "If we're going to improve the quality of life in the city then everybody needs to be working together to drive the drug dealers and the serious criminals off our streets.
"Our housing teams, our anti-social behaviour teams, our trading standards teams, work very closely with the police to make the place a better and safer place to live.
Councillor Majid Khan, cabinet member for community safety and resilience, said: "We have been working closely with Staffordshire Police for some time to make life better for everyone who lives and works in the Shelton area. We want all residents to love where they live, to take pride in the city and this starts on the doorstep. We heard directly from residents about what they wanted to see. Our message to them is: we hear you, and we are taking action. Also, an element of responsibility needs to embed itself in the local communities, and for people to take ownership, whether that be for ensuring the correct bins are used or reporting something that doesn’t feel right. This campaign has strengthened the relationship between the local community, Staffordshire Police and the council. We have come together to make a cleaner, greener and safer city.”
