TWENTY-NINE stop and searches for drug possession took place in the town centre today as part of the latest Operation Voyager day of action.
Police officers and PCSO’s from across Barnsley district neighbourhood teams along with Barnsley Council wardens took part in the Central ward NPT initiative with the key targets for the day being drug abuse, anti-social behaviour, second hand dealer compliance checks and community engagement.
A high visibility presence was shown within the town centre and surrounding suburbs, focusing on known ‘hot spots’ and reacting to ‘live time’ information from CCTV operators.
Passive drugs dog Roscoe used his nose sensing skills to alert officers to individuals suspected of being in possession of controlled drugs and officers in plain clothes spotted those intending to avoid or evade the tactic.
An engagement stall was held at the Alhambra shopping centre to promote crime prevention advice and the Barnsley Town centre community survey.
This operation was led by PS Alun Oliver of Central Ward Neighbourhood Team.
He said:” Today’s operation has been another success. We had 29 stop and searches for drug possession throughout the day and the team covered 6 miles of the town centre targeting key hot spot areas.
"We want our local community to engage with us and you can follow the Central NPT on Twitter @BarnsCentralNPT, on Facebook BarnsleyCentral NPT, and you can receive updates and advice via SYP Alerts. I would encourage the public to complete the Barnsley Town Centre Community Survey to tell us what matters to them.”