Arrests made, drugs and weapons seized during day of action in York and Selby

An intense 24 hours of disruption has resulted in eight arrests and the recovery of illegal weapons and drugs.

Over 60 officers were deployed from several departments which include neighbourhood teams, the special constabulary and the specialist operations team. The British Transport Police also carried out high visibility and plain clothed patrols at transport hubs. Other partners, which include the York Bid and the RSPCA also supported officers on the ground.

The three themes of the day were burglary, shop theft and drugs. Following an early morning briefing with the force’s Chief Officer Team, officers swiftly deployed across York and Selby and what followed was an eventful day and night.

The day got off to a flying start at New Earswick in York with the execution of a warrant. The York Outer Neighbourhood Policing team had developed intelligence about a property on White Rose Avenue. Deputy Chief Constable Scott Bissett and Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox joined the team to force entry into the property. Inside they found a large cannabis farm and two men were both arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class- b drug. They were both released under investigation.

In York, city centre officers worked with retailers on crime prevention and conducted high visibility and plain clothes patrols. A stolen bicycle was recovered and returned to its owner.  

The operation continued well into the night; in Selby officers identified a vehicle which was travelling on cloned plates. The vehicle was stopped near Harrogate and further checks reveal that it was previously stolen from the South Yorkshire area. A 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, driving with no insurance or license and possession of a class- A drug. He currently remains in custody.

Operation Tornado is driven by North Yorkshire Police’s new Chief Constable, Tim Forber. These monthly days of action are in place to deal with the issues that matter to people in our communities across North Yorkshire. The success of yesterday is a result of the continued work that we carry out in our communities, not only during days of action like this, but also enforcing the law 365 days of the year.

Chief Inspector Rob Campbell, whose command area covers York and Selby, said: “Our latest day of action under Operation Tornado was once again successful. Yesterday’s results  are an excellent demonstration of the hard work carried out every day to keep people in York and Selby safe.

“Operation Tornado is a day of intensification, but if you have any concerns about criminal activity in your local area, we won’t wait for the next operation, and we will act on it as soon as we can.

“If you have any information that you think might help us keep your community safe, please let us know so we can improve our intelligence picture.”