Gun, blades, and crossbow seized in drugs raid: police column

It was one of four warrants we executed for drugs in July, with some excellent results.

Two addresses on Jubilee Road, Wheatley were raided at the same time on July 24. In one of those, multiple weapons, class A drugs and a quantity of cash was recovered. Those weapons included an air gun, a crossbow, a samurai sword and a dagger in a curtain pole.

We also saw 334 Cannabis plants recovered from an address on Ferrers Road, Wheatley, on July 30. The occupant has been arrested and if convicted, he will face deportation.

Another warrant was executed on Kind Edward Road, Rossington, where 60 cannabis plants were recovered on July 10, and the investigation is ongoing. If you suspect someone is dealing drugs then call 101 or crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Another warrant was carried out with trading standards officers on Warmsworth Road, Balby where 25,000 cigarettes and 3.5kg of rolled tobacco was seized.

The last month has also seen a number of town centre businesses repeatedly targeted by burglaries.

There have been arrests in connection with these, with a total of 10 men arrested over that time. Some have already been convicted and received jail sentences. Others are still on bail pending further enquiries.

We will continue to support our hard working businesses in Doncaster and target those individuals who perceive these crimes as victimless. Having attended commercial burglaries first hand, I’ve witnessed the emotional and financial turmoil these incidents have on business owners and their staff.

Some businesses are really struggling on the High Street and provide a really valuable service to the visitors of Doncaster town centre. Attacks on their premises like this, seriously compromise the viability of these businesses. Looking to the future, we have target hardened some repeat premises with smart water and anticipate that the crime prevention work and targeted patrols will prevent any further burglaries taking place.

We are also increasing patrols around car parks in the town centre after seeing an increase in theft of catalytic converters from motor vehicles.

These convert highly toxic fumes generated by car engines into generally harmless gases that get blown off into the atmosphere. They use a highly coveted metal, to act as a catalyst, along with other metals in converting toxic gas to harmless gas. These are taking place across Doncaster and can cost thousands of pounds to replace. As a result, I have increased patrols in car parks and locations vulnerable to these attacks. I have arranged for both plain clothed and uniformed officers to carry out patrols to reduce these offences. We are also making people aware that metal cages can be fitted over your vehicles catalytic converter to prevent these thefts and can be seen in the attached link

Buy catalytic converter alarms or metal cages, which can be fitted around the catalytic converter to act as a deterrent. Some garages are also able to mark your catalytic convertor, which would make it far less attractive to would be thieves.

We always encourage vehicle owners to keep their vehicles in a garage wherever possible or parked in well-let places. Choose parking areas that are either monitored by CCTV or near to heavy footfall, making it more difficult for thieves to access the underside of the vehicle undisturbed. Call 999 if you see someone acting suspiciously near to vehicle or climbing under a vehicle with tools.

We are still getting reports of speeding motorists as a problem as well as inconsiderate parking outside our schools. School parking patrols will continue to take place and drivers warned of the risk to children that can be caused by inconsiderate and sometimes dangerous parking. We always try to educate drivers in the first instance but tickets will be issued if we deem it proportionate and necessary as public safety is our priority.

Finally, we are continuing to patrol the town centre and outlying shopping area, along with Doncaster Council officers, During July, 24 people were issued with a Public Space Protection Order dispersal notices within the town centre and seven people were arrested. This is an ongoing piece of work that we believe has improved the quality of the town centre, but is very emotive as some members of the public still provide money to people begging which simply exacerbates the problem.

There is an inordinate amount of work which takes place in the background to support anyone homeless in Doncaster and working with partners, we aim to rehouse and support these vulnerable individuals, as it simply is not safe for people to sleep rough on the streets. I want to encourage people to talk with these individuals but do not give them money. Support them in the right way by donating to Real Help Doncaster (www.realhelpdoncater.org) or buy a copy of the big issue.