Operation Artemis: The Redcar area under the spotlight

Strike teams raided a number of addresses in the area while extra Cleveland Police patrols were reassuring residents about the activity.

So far six people have been arrested, including one who answered the door in his boxer shorts as officers warned him that they were about to put his front door through.

Police break down suspected drug dealer's front door in Marske (Image: The Norther Echo)

A 45-year-old man and a 39-year-old were both arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs as a result of the raid on the semi-detached house on Limes Crescent, Marske, east Cleveland.

A suspect being arrested by Cleveland Police following a raid on a house on Limes Crescent, Marske (Image: Graeme Hetherington)

One resident, who didn’t want to be named, came out of his home to praise the efforts of the police.

“I was sick and tired of people coming to their house at all times,” he said. “Hopefully, this will put a stop to it.”

A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after police were abused when they turned up in Guisborough to carry out a raid in the town.

District Commander, Superintendent Emily Harrison, briefed officers in Redcar Civic Centre before they were deployed across the area to crackdown on suspected offenders.

She said: “This was a targeted operation to protect our communities and people in the area and tackle those criminals causing harm there.

“We want them to know that if there are issues, let us know about, we will come and target them. The intelligence they put in means there is sometimes a gap where people will tell us about drug dealing but then we have to build that intelligence picture to go and get a warrant.

“What this operation shows is that all that information is collated and we are targeting these people and will be back for other people they can give us information about.”

Cleveland Police raid an address in South Bank (Image: Cleveland Police)

Members of the Harbour Police joined the operation throughout the day as they patrolled the roads around the docks.

Multi agency checks took place at PD Ports with Cleveland Police, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Redcar and Cleveland Council, and the Environment Agency. Vehicles were checked for any defects and abnormal loads.

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Nuisance off-road bikes and boy racers were also being targeted as officers prowled the roads looking for offenders who are bringing misery to communities across the borough while searching a number of garages looking for any illegal vehicles.

Chief Inspector Darren Bainbridge, who was heading up the road policing operations, said: “We are running a number of operations, including on Normanby Road, where the community has raised issues around speeding and criminal use of the road.

“We are to deal with problem but it is also to reassure the public that we will take actions against those crimes.”

Officers also arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of attempted burglary and a 45-year-old man who was wanted on a warrant as the area came under the Operation Artemis spotlight.