Police hold successful Operation Tornado ‘intensification’ day on the Yorkshire coast

With Chief Constable Tim Forber and his Chief Officer Team leading from the front, the ‘intensification’ day got off to a flying start with the execution of a drugs warrant on Clark Street in Scarborough.

Officers arrested a 46-year-old local man on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intention to supply. Following questioning in custody, he was released under investigation while enquiries continue.

An evening drugs raid was also carried out at an address on Riverside View, Norton, near Malton.

A 54-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intention to supply and possession of an offensive weapon.

She has also been released under investigation.

Specially trained officers were deployed in Scarborough Town Centre and the Seamer Road Retail Park to engage with members of the public.

Some of those engaged were known to the Police, whether for retail crime, drug offences or other crime.

By using this form of engagement, criminal activity was disrupted.

Fraud was also on the agenda, more so the safeguarding and prevention against it.

Fraud-aware trained officers and volunteers in Natwest Bank on Westborough talked to people about staying safe, protecting themselves and their assets.

Police were also called to another bank in Scarborough, after a banking process identified a customer to be in the process of being de-frauded.

Officers were able to begin an investigation, and more importantly, work with other banks involved to safeguard the resident and protect them from further attempts to take their money and information.

The Rural Task Force team visited farms on the outskirts of Whitby as part of the ongoing effort to detect and deter cross-border criminals.

This included demonstrating and handing out SelectaDNA kits to use on tractors, trailers, quadbikes and other valuable farming machinery to another 14 farms in the area.

The synthetic DNA marking solution last at least five years outdoors, and, when analysed, reveals a unique code that irrefutably links property with its rightful owner if it is recovered after being stolen.

This crime detecting and deterrence effort was supported by night-time patrols on the outskirts of Whitby by the Roads Policing Group, Firearms Support Unit and Dog Unit.

Police worked together with North Yorkshire Council’s Senior Community Safety Officer who arranged a multi-agency team to visit pubs and bars in Scarborough as part of the effort to improve safety of women in the night-time economy.

This included ensuring bar and security staff have undergone Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training sessions to help them identify potential victims and suspects of violence, including personal safety in relation to spiking.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme was also promoted, am initiative aimed at both women and men who feel unsafe on a date and need assistance to discreetly move away from the person in question.

At the end of the night out, officers provided a high-visibility and engaging presence as people made their way home from the town centre.