For two days last week, Ross-on-Wye was at the centre of an intense police operation, aiming to give the public an insight into the work of the police in Ross and South Herefordshire.

During Operation Carrow, which was a part of Op Protect 2016, six vehicles were seized, several driving offences were dealt with, stolen property was recovered and lots of crime prevention advice distributed.

On Thursday afternoon, November 3rd, based on information provided by the community, a drugs warrant was executed at an address in Ross-on-Wye. This led to the arrest of a 33-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman on suspicion of being involved in the supply of class A drugs. Two cars which were not taxed were seized during the warrant and some children were taken into police protection.

DI Chris Watson, the Detective Inspector for Ross, told the Ross Gazette that this was: “A fantastic example of police acting on live information and protecting those most vulnerable in society.”

Operation Carrow began when representatives of the local community gathered at Ross-on-Wye Police Station on Wednesday, November 2nd, at the start of the two-day operation, where they were given an insight into how local officers operate in the area.

The Mayor of Ross-on-Wye, Cllr David Ravenscroft, Town Councillor, Caroline Bennett and local trader, Mark Weldt were among those who attended the public briefing.

They were met by DI Watson, Detective Sergeant Simon Jury, Police Inspector Paul Crumpton, and members of the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), PC Richard Barradale-Smith, CSO Fiona Witcher and PC Matt Arnold.

DI Watson told those who attended the briefing that the aim was to lift a lid on policing in Herefordshire. He added that he, and his colleagues are passionate about protecting the public from crime in the area, as they too are residents in the community.

During the two-day operation, on Wednesday and Thursday, the representatives were given the contact telephone numbers of the SNTs, and were asked be the police’s "eyes and ears on the ground, and to report any suspicious incidents to the officers directly.

The local police also had access to additional resources during the operation; there were increased numbers of police officers and staff on duty in the area, from a range of ranks. There was also an ANPR camera (automatic number plate recognition) which was set up on the A40, between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye.

This is a very useful piece of equipment; when a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, the registration number is read and checked against the police database.

If a vehicle of interest is picked up, for example, if it was reported leaving the scene of a burglary, the local police will know within minutes that the vehicle is in the area.

ANPR tells officers which direction a vehicle is travelling in, and officers can intercept and stop a vehicle, check it for evidence and, where necessary, make arrests.

When an eyewitness reports a crime, or a suspicious incident, the police urge them to make a note of the registration number of the suspect’s vehicle, if it is safe to do so; this makes it a great deal easier for officers to trace the offender. Noting details such as a partial registration, or the colour and make of a vehicle can also be invaluable information.

During the two days of Operation Carrow, officers gave out Crime Prevention Packs to farmers, made arrests, gave tickets, and gathered a great deal of intelligence.

Throughout the operation, officers requested 118 individual Police National Computer (PNC) checks on people and/or their vehicles. Six vehicles were seized in total for a range of offences, including being driven with no insurance. After the operation had ended, DI Watson told the Gazette that he was very happy the result, and that local officers had been able to connect with the community in such a positive way. He added that Superintendent Sue Thomas had been impressed with the success of the activity, and the local police hope to run another similar operation very soon.See this week's Ross Gazette for the full story.