POLICE: DRUG RAIDS 'AS REGULAR AS CLOCKWORK'

Officers Make An Arrest During The Dawn Raid.

A suspected drug dealer was arrested during a dawn raid on his house, the
latest in a series of weekly busts by Merton police.

The raids are part of a police clampdown on dealers, in response to
concerns raised by residents who want to see effective community policing.

The suspect, who is in his 20s, was captured in his bedroom at 6am with
crack cocaine, cannabis and a wad of cash stashed in a shoebox.

Chief Inspector Nick Lipscomb, head of Merton's Safer Neighbourhoods
initiative, said: "As part of Safer Neighbourhoods we are talking to people
more.

"It's not big things they are concerned about but local things like
children hanging around drug dealing.

"We're looking into what they want and are beginning to have the resources
to do that. These raids are as regular as clockwork now."

The recent raid leading to the arrest was meticulously planned.

A briefing beforehand showed stills of the exterior of the house and an
interior room plan to ensure the officers' surprise entrance ran smoothly.

Specially-trained officers gained entry to buildings, allowing the team to
get in as quickly and quietly as possible stealth is imperative to prevent
drugs going out of windows or down the toilet.

About 10 officers stormed the house and quickly contained the dealer so
they could locate the drugs.

WPCs dealt calmly with other members of the family, some of them children
who were understandably shocked and distressed.

Officers then paired off to individual rooms and searched for drugs, drug
paraphernalia and evidence of money linked to drugs.

The methodical search even involved a police sniffer dog, three-year-old
Harvey.

The suspected dealer is expected to be charged with possession of cocaine,
making the raid another success for officers who claim never to have
returned empty-handed.

Intelligence officer Lee Meechan said: "The raids have increased because of
our Safer Neighbourhoods scheme.

"We have got more intelligence coming in as we have more people out on the
beat, and more intelligence means we can act and make sure criminals are
taken off the streets."