Cleveland Police carried out early morning raids in Stockton

Operation Artemis was launched on Thursday (April 20) in an early morning briefing at The Globe Theatre in Stockton town centre, before more than 100 Cleveland Police officers carried out early morning wake up calls across Stockton

Using specialist resources from across the force and the North East region, including North East Regional Organised Crime Unit, Specialist Operations Unit, Organised Crime Unit and the Proactive Team, a number of warrants were conducted simultaneously across the Stockton area to arrest and bring to justice those who commit crime and cause misery amongst communities in Cleveland.

Stockton Borough Council, Accent Housing and Thirteen were also involved in the operation.

A total of 15 arrests were made (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Some of the results included:

Fifteen arrests were made throughout the day;

Three men and two women were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs at a flat in Wembley Way. Cocaine, crack cocaine, a sword and £1k in cash were seized from the property;

A woman was arrested in Wrensfield Road on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs and possessing an offensive weapon, after crack cocaine was found concealed in a Kinder Egg at the property, along with cocaine, cannabis, two machetes and £800 in cash;

In Northumberland Road, a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing class B drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property, after £2k in cash and drugs paraphernalia were seized from his address, whilst another man wanted on warrant was arrested at another property on the same road;

A woman wanted on warrant was arrested on Yarm Lane, whilst a 39-year-old man was arrested on Rudyard Avenue for breaching a court order;

A man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and a woman was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class B drugs, after a large quantity of cannabis and drugs paraphernalia seized by the Force Proactive Team from a property in Wrynose Gardens;

A man was arrested for possession of class C drugs following a stop and search in Stockton High Street;

Two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, failing to stop and dangerous driving after a stolen vehicle was found abandoned in a playing field in Stockton.

Some of the items seized on the raids (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Across the day, Cleveland Police Specialist Operations Unit also carried out Operation Artemis patrols in Stockton, resulting in motorists receiving summons for speeding, a vehicle being seized for having no insurance, drivers were stopped and drugs tested, and a ticket was issued for using a mobile phone whilst driving.

With prevention of crime being a significant priority for the day of action, collaborative work with partners saw joint patrols being conducted in Stockton Town Centre, Thornaby Town Centre, Billingham Town Centre, Yarm High Street and Norton High Street between Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and Stockton Borough Council Enforcement Officers.

PCSOs and Thirteen Housing Officers visited two addresses to issue warnings regarding antisocial behaviour from residents of the properties. Officers also linked in with housing providers around three addresses were controlled drugs were found, and tenancy action as discussed.

Stockton Library and Billingham Library, along with the Victim Care and Advisory Service (VCAS) held pop-up crime prevention events providing advice to visiting members of the public.

Operation Artemis will continue to run regularly throughout the Spring and Summer to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour and the issues that matter most to those living in Teesside.

Stockton District Commander, Superintendent John Wrintmore said: “Operation Artemis is a force wide operation which was successfully launched in Stockton.

“We focused on arresting our most wanted people, tackling organised crime, clamping down on off road bikes and conducting proactive patrols and educational engagement.

“This has resulted in 15 arrests, and the seizure of large amounts of drugs and cash and the removal of weapons from Stockton’s streets.

“The operation was highly visible and impactive and I want to thank our officers and staff within the force and colleagues from Stockton Borough Council, The Globe Theatre, Thirteen, Accent Housing and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit for their hard work and dedication to making yesterday a success”.

The operation was highly visible (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Ann Workman, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Director of Adults and Health, said: “The safety of our residents and communities is of utmost importance so it’s vital that we work in partnership with Cleveland to keep local communities safe and enjoyable for everyone.

“Stockton-on-Tees remains one of the safest areas of the Tees Valley. Our joint work with key partners such as the police helps us to effectively respond to residents’ concerns, share intelligence and plan for the future to continue to prevent and reduce crime and keep those responsible off the streets.

“We are determined to prevent and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and hope operations like this one send a clear message that it will not be tolerated in our borough.”

T/Sgt Neil Lovat from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) said: “Targeted operations like these are just one example of how we, along with partners, remain committed to tackling serious and organised criminality.

By ensuring we have a holistic and robust response to anyone suspected of being involved, demonstrates the resources at our disposable and our readiness to use them and under the banner of Operation Sentinel we will continue to tackle, disrupt and dismantle Serious and Organised Crime across the region.”

Kay Glew, director of operations at Thirteen said: “Thirteen’s absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our customers and of local communities. We take reports of anti-social behaviour very seriously because it causes distress and an unacceptable sense of unease and anxiety.

"Antisocial behaviour specialists have supported Operation Artemis by taking part in proactive patrols, and attending community engagement events, alongside our partners. We know that by working together, we can make a difference to those living in the Stockton area.”

Get more from The Northern Echo with a Premium Plus digital subscription from as little as only £1.50 a week.

Shaun Finegan, Accent’s Director of Housing Services in the North, said: “Accent Housing manages over 20,500 homes, and our priority is to ensure they are safe and comfortable for our 35,000 customers.

"Accent has a stringent no tolerance policy for antisocial behaviour and hate crime and takes related reports very seriously.

“We thank Cleveland Police for their assistance and support and continue to work in partnership with Cleveland Police to keep our communities safe and stable for the people who live there.”

• Please tell Cleveland Police if crime and antisocial behaviour is happening in your area – if we don’t know, we can’t take action. Report it via 101 or anonymously to Crimestoppers via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/