Drug sniffer dogs have been patrolling the streets of Scunthorpe over the festive period and helped catch someone who was carrying a knife in public.
“Operation Forager” continued to provide reassurance to shoppers in Scunthorpe town centre with the return of the high visibility drugs dog operation carried out by Scunthorpe Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT).
The approach is a way of identifying people who may be supplying or carrying drugs and can act as a deterrent to those involved in such crimes and bring reassurance to residents, Humberside Police said.
PC Watson, who led the initiative in Scunthorpe, said: “The operation saw PCs and PCSOs following a passive drugs dog through key routes we identified in the town. We carried out 11 stop and searches and seized a bladed weapon. One person was summonsed to court for possession of a bladed article.
“As an organisation, we are focused on delivering for our community, and the feedback received drives our priorities to continue developing Operation Forager going ahead.
Humberside Police patrol in Scunthorpe
(Image: Humberside Police)
“The response from the public has been positive and we continue to receive great feedback. They have told us that they are reassured that we are acting upon the information that we receive.
”None of it would have been possible without the dedication and support of everyone involved internally and externally, so I would like to pass on my thanks to all those who participated.
”There were some fantastic results and I continue to be incredibly proud of the hugely professional approach taken by my colleagues when undertaking these tasks. I am confident that the work we carried out yesterday have already made our streets safe.
”Since August 2024 we have conducted 110 Stop & Searches, resulting in 18 arrests for various offences, including drug-related crimes, possession of bladed articles, theft, and fraud, demonstrating the operation’s effectiveness in tackling crime.”
If you are concerned about drug-related crime in your area, please speak to your local team or call our non-emergency 101 line. If you would like to report anonymously, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.