A specialist team of officers is continuing to mount the pressure on criminals after hunting down more than 300 suspects and seizing around £280,000 of suspected illegal cash.
The Gedling Operation Reacher team has arrested/interviewed 311 suspects, made over 180 drug seizures and removed over 100 dangerous weapons from the streets as a result of its relentless work over the last two years.
The specialist crime-fighting team, formed in 2020, has hit the ground running in 2022 and is already making its impact felt as it continues to proactively target local criminals as well as building stronger community relationships.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Operation Reacher teams balance proactive evidence-led police work, cracking down on criminal activity and tackling issues that matter most to local people, with positive community engagement to build stronger and more trusting relationships with the public.
The Gedling Operation Reacher Team works closely with neighbourhood policing colleagues to act on the concerns of the local community.
Much of that ongoing operational work has been around tackling the supply of controlled drugs but the team has also focused on knife crime, burglary, speeding and road safety as well as other crime types. Other aspects of the team’s effective day-to-day work includes warrant enforcement activity and hunting suspects.
The team’s recent positive results include arresting a suspect at an address in Carlton on 27 January 2022 on suspicion of drug and weapons-related offences.
Team members made the arrest after acting on fresh evidence in connection with an ongoing investigation.
A machete and ‘death star’ bladed weapon were seized from the property along with a quantity of drugs and other evidence.
A 38-year-old man was detained on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug, possession with intent to supply a Class B drug and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place. Enquiries remain ongoing.
The team arrested a man and a woman in the Newark area on 23 January in connection with separate allegations.
Also, on 14 January, team members executed a warrant in the Nottingham city area during which they arrested a man in connection with a stabbing and also recovered a quantity of cannabis from within the house.
On 5 January the team arrested a man from a taxi in Arnold Road, Bestwood, in connection with two robberies in Nottingham. The suspect was also wanted on recall to prison.
Further positive crime-fighting results included the dismantling of a 167-plant cannabis grow on Christmas Eve in Digby Avenue, Mapperley, which also resulted in a suspect being arrested, charged and remanded in custody.
Inspector Chris Jury, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector responsible for local policing in the Gedling borough area, said: “The Operation Reacher team continues to have a massive impact in helping to tackle and disrupt crime in our communities and keeping our streets safe.
“The team has been here for two years already and despite the challenges provided by the global pandemic they have secured a number of great results for the area. A number of cases are now being finalised and I look forward to seeing the sentences that will be handed down at court.
“Sergeant Matt Sisson and the team work closely with neighbourhood policing colleagues to act on the concerns of the local community. The team also do a huge amount of work in the community, including engaging with and building relationships with young people which is a really important part of our work.
“Residents living in the Gedling borough can be assured that our dedicated teams will continue to listen to them and take positive action to tackle their concerns.
“Working together, and supported by other force resources, our officers will continue to do everything they can to crack down on crime in our communities and take robust action against those intent on causing misery and harm.”
There are now Operation Reacher teams in all 12 policing neighbourhoods across the Nottinghamshire Police force footprint.