Op Warrior - the fight continues

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

1,212 organised crime suspects arrested in first year of Op Warrior – and we’re going after more.

Lancashire’s relentless pursuit of criminals has resulted in 352 vulnerable children and adults being safeguarded. We have also had over 1,200 arrests since its launch 12 months ago, along with 649 years of jail time and seizures of 10,550 cannabis plants, 286KG of class A and class B drugs and £1.2M of cash.

Operation Warrior is Lancashire Constabulary’s county-wide crackdown on organised crime supported by Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden.

The operation is dedicated to bringing more offenders to justice as well as stripping them of their cash, cars and other assets.

Operation Warrior targets both individuals and gangs involved in crime, as well as associated issues such as violence and intimidation, large scale drug supply, exploitation and fraud, all of which can cause serious harm to local communities.

Police activity, supported by online appeals and updates and a high profile leaflet, radio and billboard campaign, has seen an increase in information being passed to Police, all of which is helping to close the net on organised crime and help to bring more offenders to justice.

Lancashire Constabulary’s Assistant Chief Constable Sam Mackenzie said: “We are determined to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to rid local communities of organised crime and the misery it can cause.

“We’ve spent the last twelve months relentlessly pursuing those causing the most harm to our communities and our efforts are paying off with a significant number of arrests as well as over a million pounds worth of cash, drugs and other assets seized.

“However, we’re determined to go after more. To that end, I would urge anyone with information about organised crime to come forward. That might include information about drug dealing, human trafficking, counterfeiting or exploitation. If you suspect something, report it either by contacting us directly or calling independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously”.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden said: "Op Warrior is the Constabulary's response to my Fighting Crime Plan priority of disrupting and dismantling organised crime and I am pleased to say that the results speak for themselves.

"Thanks to the hard work of our officers, we are seeing more crime gang members arrested, huge quantities of drugs taken off our streets and we are hitting criminals where it hurts by seizing their cash and assets which they gained through criminality, and we are investing that money back into local communities.

"I would like to thank Lancashire residents for their part in making Op Warrior a success by reporting suspicious activity and would like encourage members of the public to continue reporting to the police or, anonymously, to independent charity Crimestoppers."

Anyone with information about organised crime can contact Lancashire Police online or by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. Information can also be passed to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. Information leading to an arrest and conviction could lead to a reward of up to £1,000.

Organised crime includes:

• Trafficking - A sign that it is occurring could be a house being used by a large group of people or people calling at the house at all times of the day.
• Drugs supply – This often involves exploitation of the vulnerable and violence in local communities.
• Cyber crime – Fraudulent emails or phishing scams with the aim of getting personal details are often distributed by organised crime groups.
• Businesses crime – This can range from “chop shops” dismantling stolen cars for spare parts right through to businesses being used for money laundering.