New figures show Humberside Police successfully tackles drugs
1,773 seizures of illegal drugs were carried out between April 2020 and March 2021
Humberside Police say they are punching above their weight after taking more than 10kg of cocaine, thousands of ecstasy tablets and five tonnes of cannabis off the streets in just one year.
The new Road Crime Team, increased stop-and-searches and targeted raids have helped to catch dealers across the area.
1,773 seizures of illegal drugs were carried out between April 2020 and March 2021, new Home Office figures show.
Nearly 500 of these involved Class A drugs, such as cocaine, crack, ecstasy, heroin and methadone – the best for any force in the region.
The seizures of ecstasy were the fourth highest for any police force in the country.
Large amounts of cannabis cannabis plants and herbal cannabis were also found as Class B drugs were seized over over 1,100 times.
Chief Constable Lee Freeman said tackling drug-related crime and connected properties is a priority for the force.
Officers carried out around 700 more drug seizures than the previous year, which they say is due to targeted action on the issue.
Here is the complete list of drugs that were seized in northern Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire for 2020/21:
Class A
11kg cocaine
1kg crack
32,000 doses of ecstasy
1kg heroin
2000 doses of methadone
Class B
108kg of herbal cannabis
5794kg cannabis plants
1kg amphetamines
1kg ketamine
Class C
8000 benzodiazepine
New psychoactive substances
Synthetic cannabinoids – 3kg
The number of seizures by class
486 – Class A
1103 – Class B
86 – Class C
113 weren’t classified
Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: “Taking drugs off the streets remains a priority for these operations and we have conducted hundreds of warrants, targeting properties known to be hubs of drug dealing or production, based on the information passed to us from members of the public.
“Humberside Police are arresting more suspects per officer than any force in the country and we also have the highest rate for detecting overall crime. I asked my officers and staff to be on the front foot in taking policing to those who are committing crime and they have done everything that I have asked of them over the past few years.
“One of the reasons behind these seizure figures for Humberside is our forcewide Op Galaxy operation, which targets the highest harm offenders. Furthermore, the additional 650 police officers that I have been able to bring in over the past five years has transformed the presence and capabilities that we have to make the region a more difficult place for offenders to commit crime without getting caught.
He added that the increased seizures showed that the force’s methods were working.
“The impact that drugs and drug-related crime can have on a community should not be underestimated and it is something that we take incredibly seriously. When local communities see people dealing drugs in their neighbourhoods, they have a right to expect that we will do something about it and I have a responsibility to ensure that we do.
“Another factor that is likely to have impacted our drugs seizures is the formation of our Roads Crime Team and the additional resources that we have placed in our Roads Policing teams. These teams specifically target criminals using the force area’s road network and regularly intercept those trying to transport drugs into and around Humberside.
“Our communities have been incredibly supportive of our actions against drugs and continue to play a vital role in providing us with the information we need to take drugs and offenders off the streets.”
Anyone with information about drug-related crime can pass it onto police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.