Team set up to disrupt organised crime seizes drugs worth £2million in a year

A team set up to disrupt criminality on the county’s roads, protect local communities and tackle cross-border criminality has made 471 arrests and stopped more than 1,000 vehicles in a year.

The three Operation Sentinel teams were set up in 2019 to provide enhanced coverage of Suffolk’s road network. Based across the county, they proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increase police visibility.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, Operation Sentinel officers made 471 arrests, resulting in 2,551 weeks of custodial sentences.

Of these arrests, 26 were for possession of offensive weapons, while 225 arrests related to drug supply offences involving various serious organised crime threats.

During this time, proceeds of crime seizures totalled £346,000, with £2million worth of drugs seized. A total of 223 drug wipes were administered with 101 being returned positive.

Results saw a total of 39 driving disqualifications awarded in this time, 279 searches completed, and 93 Traffic Offence Reports administered.

As well as targeting organised criminals’ use of Suffolk’s road network, the Sentinel teams support the force’s response policing and Community Policing Teams and offer additional operational options, making use of a wide range of proactive policing tactics and technology.

These include Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and mobile fingerprint devices to identify and intercept criminals, frustrate their activities and make Suffolk a hostile place for criminals to operate.

Suffolk’s Sentinel team utilise ANPR technology, with the technology also used elsewhere within the force.

As a result of the ANPR coverage in Suffolk and proactive targeting of offenders from specialist teams, including Sentinel and the Roads and Armed Policing Team (RAPT), between April 2023 and April 2024 1,261 vehicles were stopped, 557 people were arrested and 211 vehicles were seized and removed from the road.

Detective Chief Inspector Anna Powell said: “Our Sentinel officers are on the front line of ensuring Suffolk remains as inhospitable place as possible for those using our road network for their criminal activities.

“They are highly effective at targeting and detecting these criminals and the organised crime gangs they are part of.

“This all forms part of our work, alongside partners, to keep Suffolk safe and protect some of our most vulnerable residents who are often disproportionately affected by these criminals and their activities.”

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore added: “The Sentinel teams were funded by Suffolk residents through the council tax precept and as the arrests show, the investment continues to pay dividends. This proactive policing approach is exactly what the people of Suffolk asked for, so I am delighted to see it having such a dramatic impact.

"Suffolk is one of the safest counties in the country, but that's not to say there aren't challenges which the constabulary needs to be equipped to deal with. These three Sentinel teams are helping to proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increase police visibility, which is great news for us all.”

Suffolk Constabulary has three Operation Sentinel Teams based across the county that are dedicated to reducing organised crime, protecting Suffolk’s communities and tackling crossborder crime.

The Sentinel Teams are dedicated to taking action in relation to intelligence gathered around crime and criminals. The officers use specialist techniques and the technology available to them to make Suffolk a hostile environment for criminals.

They work closely with the joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team (RAPT) to assist in keeping Suffolk’s roads safe.