Merseyside police were honoured by the Home Office last night at the Tackling Drugs Supply Awards.
Exemplary work
Merseyside won the best practice in asset recovery award at the annual event.
They were one of five forces congratulated for their exemplary work in cracking down on drug dealers. The awards aim to highlight best practice so that other police forces can go on to emulate the success of the five winners. Nine other police forces from around England and Wales have also been commended for their sterling work.
The awards are given to forces that have successfully tackled street level dealing, middle market dealing, recovered drug dealers’ assets, thwarted commercial cannabis cultivation and linked up effectively with drug treatment teams to cut drug related crime and drug distribution. The achievements include:
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in Staffordshire disrupting 10 organised crime groups, making 82 arrests which resulted in more than 160 years imprisonment
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in London seizing more than 60 kilos of Class A drugs and more than 1 tonne of Class B drugs with a street value of more than £6.5 million
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in Kent using offender management and rehabilitation to reduce re-offending by chaotic drug users
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in Merseyside seizing more than £1.1 million in cash
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in Northern Ireland seizing more than 25,000 cannabis plants and 204kg of cannabis worth £15.5 million
Statement from Home Office Minister
Alan Campbell said, 'I congratulate the police for their excellent work in tackling drug supply. Through the hard work and dedication of police forces and partner agencies across the country we are clamping down more than ever on those who try and bring drugs into our communities.
'Tough laws and effective enforcement actions combined with record numbers of people in drug treatment have driven down drug related crime and I am determined to see this continue.'
Statement from Merseyside Police
Chief Constable, Bernard Hogan-Howe, said, 'Merseyside Police has had some significant successes in the field of serious organised crime and over the past three years has been one of the most successful forces in the country for asset recovery.
'The ability to take ill-gotten gains off those involved in crime is a powerful tool in our total war on crime - last year this force seized in excess of £2.6 million. Ironically, through the national incentivisation scheme we are able to plough some of that money taken off criminals back in to fighting crime on Merseyside.
'I am delighted that the Financial Investigations Unit has been recognised nationally for its work on this particular case and would like to congratulate them on a job well done. The team works hard to ensure that crime does not pay and this is one of numerous successful asset recovery cases they have worked on in recent years. We cannot and will not be complacent and we will continue to hit criminals were it hurts - in the pocket.'
Award winners
The award winners are:
Best practice against street level dealing
Winner – Staffordshire Police, Operation Nemesis
Commended – West Yorkshire, Police Operation Grassland, Northamptonshire Police, Reducing Supply Team
Best practice against the middle market
Winner – Metropolitan Police, Territorial Policing Crime Squad
Commended – Northumbria Police Operation Crack, Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) Project Kitley
Best example of enforcement linkages with Drug Intervention Programme
Winner – Kent Police, Operation Iceberg
Commended – Merseyside Police, Operation Manaton
Best Practice in asset recovery
Winner – Merseyside Police, Operation Macarise
Commended – Nottinghamshire Constabulary, Operation Volcano, Metropolitan Police Operation, Bella Vista
Best practice against commercial cultivation of cannabis
Winner – Police Service of Northern Ireland, Operation Mazurka
Commended – Greater Manchester Police, Operation Dragonfly, Avon and Somerset Police Operation Bulb
These awards are part of the government’s strategy to tackle drugs and change lives. Since 1998, there has been a record level of investment in tackling drugs: drugs misuse has fallen by 21%, the numbers entering treatment has increased by 113% and acquisitive crime – to which drug related crime makes a significant contribution – is down by 16 per cent between 2004 and 2006. In addition, there have been record seizures of class A drugs, recovery of drug related assets and disruption of organised crime groups.
Notes to editors
The Tackling Drug Supply awards are an annual event, designed to highlight best practice among police forces in tackling drug supply to keep drugs out of circulation.
For more and images contact the press office, tel: 020 7035 3812.
For more on the government’s drug strategy see the Home Office's website Tackling Drugs Changing Lives (new window).
© Crown copyright material reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland
