Lockdown is helping officers to gain foothold over Doncaster's gangs

The Covid-19 lockdown has enabled specialist police officers to crackdown on organised criminal gangs in parts of Doncaster.
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Officers working within Operation Drum Alpha - a group set up to disrupt criminal activity in Mexborough, Denaby and Conisbrough - have said the lockdown has highlighted drug dealing operations more clearly as people stay indoors.

Reports show the task force has managed to carry out ‘dozens’ of arrests from raids, stop and searches and vehicle seizures.

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The ‘hard enforcement’ has also run alongside an increase in engagement and educational activity with Doncaster Council and other agencies.

A drug deal A drug deal
A drug deal

The preventative work is designed to encourage reporting and ‘dissuade the next generation of children’ from getting involved in criminality.

Chf Supt Shaun Morley, Doncaster district commander at South Yorkshire Police, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has in many ways allowed the Doncaster Neighbourhood West Team and the Fortify team to be more proactive in regard to organised crime group activity in these locations.

“With the majority of people staying at home, there has been less crime but greater intelligence generated, as drug supply issues are more noticeable on the streets.

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“This has resulted in significant proactive activity and over 10 warrants being executed by the neighbourhood teams in the last four weeks culminating in numerous arrests, seizures of large scale cannabis setups of 200 plus plants, significant amounts of class A drugs and cash, and disruption to drugs supply across pretty much every ward in Doncaster West.”

Chf Supt Morley also gave an update on Operation Heart Alpha - a taskforce set up to tackle deep-rooted anti-social behaviour and criminality in Edlington.

Officers alongside DMBC are undertaking a ‘multi-faceted’ approach predominantly around youth issues in the community.

The work is said to be continuing to gather pace following the opening of Edlington Police station early this year, and the placement of a neighbourhood policing team in the community.

As with Operation Drum Alpha, the response has said to have resulted in a mixture of hard enforcement and increased partnership activity around ‘education, diversion and support’.