Operation Crossbow: £5,000 worth of illegal vapes seized with five Crewe shops fined
Around £5,000 worth of illegal vapes were seized in Crewe with five shops fined, as part of Cheshire Police's Operation Crossbow across the county on Monday 23 June.
Operation Crossbow came as part of efforts to disrupt criminality across the East of Cheshire, including Crewe, Alsager, Macclesfield, Sandbach, Congleton, Knutsford and Wilmslow.
Over 100 officers from various departments worked alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police, British Transport Police, Trading Standards, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Motorway Insurance Bureau to bring criminals to justice.
Officers from localised Beat Teams, Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Drone Unit, Roads and Crime, Motorbike Unit, Special Constables and the Dog Unit were also joined by colleagues from Immigration Enforcement and the Home Office in visits to addresses linked to modern day slavery and immigration offences.
Following an 8am briefing from Chief Constable, Mark Roberts, and Superintendent, Andy Blizard, officers rolled out from Crewe's Apollo Buckingham Health Sciences Campus, Crewe Green Road.
Assisting their colleagues from Immigration and Trading Standards, officers visited 12 commercial premises in Crewe, including Nantwich Road, West Street and Market Street, to locate and seize illegal tobacco and vape products.
This operation led to five Crewe businesses being fined, with around £5,000 of unlawful products seized.
Another man was arrested on an extradition warrant in Crewe, for an offence in Romania dating back to 2019.
The overall results from the day in Crewe were:
- Crewe Railway Station – LPU / BTP: 19 stop searches in total. Six positives for drug offences, dealt with by five community resolutions and one postal requisition
- A500/J16: 28 vehicles stopped. Four Traffic Offence Reports (TORS) for no MOT and no insurance. One arrested for Immigration offences. One arrested following a pursuit, disqualified driving, dangerous driving, fail to stop, no insurance, drug driving. Also wanted on court warrant. Will be remanded. One arrested for shoplifting, disqualified driving and no insurance
- Speed Enforcement: Around 50 people captured speeding in both Crewe and Nantwich
- Immigration - Foreign National Offenders/Trading Standards/Immigration: One arrested on warrant extradition for offence in Romania in 2019. 12 convenience stores checked - Seizures of approximately £5000 illegal vapes and five convenience stores given fines
- Outstanding Offenders - Response: Three arrested for domestic abuse offences. One arrested for racially aggravated assault. One arrested for S39 Assault and damage and two community resolutions issued
Chief Inspector Cameron Taylor, who the oversaw operational response, said: "The successful operation is a testament to the hard work of the many officers from several departments across the Constabulary and our partner organisations coming together to directly target criminality within the eastern area of Cheshire.
"We have seen a high number of traffic offences reported and several vehicles seized that were either being driven dangerously, were not safe to be driven or incorrectly insured, thus further limiting the likelihood of incidents and continually making Cheshire's roads safe for those who live, work and travel through the county.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner agencies as well as our officers from the Roads and Crime Unit and our Local Policing teams in their activity across the eastern area of the county as part of Operation Crossbow.
"Their proactivity and engagement have helped us identify and remove drivers that should not have gotten behind the wheel.
"Alongside taking proactive action against those misusing the roads, we also used the deployment as an opportunity to provide education to motorists, familiarising them with the Fatal Five offences and utilising the team from the Commercial Vehicles Unit to ensure drivers carrying heavy loads along our roads were aware of the appropriate regulations regarding how much they can legally carry.
"I hope this sends out a strong message that if you commit crime in Cheshire, or on Cheshire's roads, you will be caught, and we will utilise all of the tactics and resources at our disposal to ensure you are held accountable."
Over the course of the day, officers and their colleagues spread across the county and executed a number actions including; weight checks of vehicles carrying heavy loads on the motorways and conducting stop and search operations in the county's busiest railway stations.
Officers also seized non-roadworthy vehicles and stopped drivers on busy roads who were without insurance, not wearing seatbelts, and being distracted by using mobile phones or Sat Navs whilst behind the wheel.
Chief Constable, Mark Roberts added: "Our officers are committed to protecting our communities and work tirelessly every day to prevent and disrupt criminal activity.
"This latest operation shows just a small snapshot of their unwavering efforts as these are all areas in which we excel at day in, day out, and are part of our everyday policing tactics to continue to keep people safe and reduce crime.
"Operations like this send out a strong message that Cheshire is a hostile environment for those who wish to commit crime and that anyone who chooses to abuse our roads will be located and held accountable for their actions."
READ MORE: A500 closes after police talk man down from bridge near Crewe.
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