Suffolk Constabularyâs team dedicated to cracking down on criminals, protecting local communities and tackling cross-border criminality has hit the 100 arrest mark.
The Operation Sentinel team, active since late May, provides enhanced coverage of Suffolkâs road network to proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increasing police visibility.
105 arrests have been made (from 28 May up to 12 September), for a variety of offences including possession with intent to supply drugs, fraud offences, handling stolen goods, possession of offensive weapons, attempted robbery and failing to appear before court.
The team, comprising of (one sergeant and six constables), has been made possible by an increase in police numbers paid for by the PCCs decision to raise the Council Tax precept. The two teams who will provide the same service to the East and West of the county will be up and running very shortly.
The Sentinel Teams disrupt criminals and protects communities across Suffolkâs road network. They support our response policing and Safer Neighbourhood Teams and offer additional operational options making use of a wide range of proactive policing tactics and technology including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and mobile fingerprint devices to identify and intercept criminals, frustrate their activities and make Suffolk a hostile place for criminals to operate.
Suffolk Constabulary Head of Crime, Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Bridger said: “To have conducted 100 arrests over a three month period is a great achievement for the team and a clear demonstration of our determination to prevent criminals causing harm in Suffolk. There has been a variety of crimes disrupted as a result, including serious violence and drug trafficking crimes.
“Serious and organised criminals use the road network extensively in order to commit crime. This proactive and flexible team of officers are making progress in making Suffolk a no-go area for those individuals to operate. Using intelligence to focus our activity and target those causing the greatest harm is essential and we are grateful for the information provided by the public that helps us to do this and we continue to encourage the public to tell us about their concerns.
“With the additional two teams for the west and east Suffolk starting very shortly, we can expect many more enforcement activities in the coming weeks and months and we will keep our communities informed of the successes we have.â
Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Iâm sure the good people of Suffolk will join me in thanking the officers on this new Sentinel team for the fantastic results they have achieved in such a short time.
“My decision to increase in the council tax precept has enabled the Chief Constable to recruit an additional 29 officers, which includes eight officers to be deployed specifically in the Ipswich area. These extra police officers are in addition to any we may get through the uplift of policing numbers announced by the Prime Minister recently.
“We need to remember, Suffolk is one of the safest counties in the country, but thatâs not to say there arenât challenges ahead. I understand the precept increase was unwelcome news for some people, but this will enable us to improve detection rates and make Suffolk a hostile environment for criminals, which is what people want.
“To be proactive, we need to have the resources and Operation Sentinel give us the extra officers on our roads that we need. It wonât change everything but this is a major step-change in the fight against crime in our communities and I welcome this pre-emptive approach.â