Police crackdown on local organised crime

Insp Jess Lawlor said Suffolk Police wanted to work with the local community to prevent crime

A police force said it had made over 90 arrests and seized hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs since starting a crackdown on organised crime.

Suffolk Police said the operation, named "Clear, Hold, Build", began in parts of Ipswich in March.

Similar initiatives have also taken place in Felixstowe and Newmarket, and the tactic had been developed by the Home Office.

The force said the aim was "to tackle serious and organised crime and build communities more resilient to their influence".

Police have been targeting the area along Norwrich and Bramford Road to the north-west of the town centre, as well as the area around Handford Road, London Road and Gippeswyk Park.

The force's Insp Jess Lawlor said they had been chosen due to "high levels of crime" but also issues with "deprivation, school attainment, welfare and access to healthcare".

"It's about looking at who is causing harm to the community, whether it be through drugs, trafficking or exploitation or modern slavery; it's about how we can best tackle them and prevent them from offending," she said.

Since the campaign began, Suffolk Police said it had dismantled two cannabis factories, identified three brothels and arrested the managers, seized weapons including crossbows and knives, and found £200,000 worth of cocaine in one location.

'A vibrant diverse area'

Colin Kreidewolf said the areas to the immediate west of the town centre were vibrant, but faced deprivation

Labour borough councillor Colin Kreidewolf represents the Westgate ward and said it was a "relatively deprived area but a vibrant area as well; Norwich Road, despite the naysayers has a lot going for it".

He said it was an area where "people new to the town migrate to because it's relatively cheaper housing to rent".

"In the 50s and 60s you had West Indians coming to the town; subsequently you had people coming from Bangladesh and Pakistan and in more recent times you have settlers from eastern Europe and other areas," he said.

He said he has residents frequently contacting him about crime and "sometimes they feel there's not a response from police, but it's important to keep reporting as that builds up a map of what's happening".

One of the challenges the police face is building trust with the community, Mr Kreidewolf claimed.

"A number of people have migrated to Ipswich from different parts of the world, where the relationship with the police in their home country is much more difficult," he said.

Romeo Mustata founded the Ipswich Romanian Community group

Suffolk Police said the force would be working with community groups as part of efforts to build "resilience" to try to make sure new criminals did not start operating in the area after arrests were made.

Insp Lawlor said she wanted the police to be "accessible to all of the community" and that when people called the police "they feel they're going to be heard and listened to and that police are doing something".

According to the 2021 census, 80.9% of Ipswich residents said they were born in England.

Romania was the country next most represented, with about 2.7% born there.

Romeo Mustata started the Ipswich Romanian Community group and said his organisation has helped work with people arriving in Ipswich to understand cultural differences.

He said he had met with police officers to help them "understand our culture and traditions" and he wanted to build trust and confidence between the Romanian community and the police and local authorities.

He said that while some from Romania were doing "bad things" in Ipswich, he felt his community faced "stereotypes" with everyone being placed "in the same pot".

Insp Lawlor said it could be a three-year project and success would see "lower crime rates in the area, a community survey showing that concerns have been addressed and ensuring the community have pride in where they live".