POLICE arrested 15 people in Newport yesterday morning on suspicion of a number of offences including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and money laundering following a police raid.

The arrests were made as part of Gwent Police’s Operation Resolute which aims to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour by specifically targeting those offenders who commit the most crime.

The Argus was invited to join police as they led simultaneous raids on several properties in Pill yesterday morning.

The force’s newest operation saw eight warrants executed allowing eight Newport properties to be searched.

Following those searches 15 people were arrested and items recovered include ‘significant’ amounts of cash and Class A and B controlled drugs. Four cars were also seized.

The day began with a 6.15am meeting at Gwent Police Headquarters in Croesyceiliog.

Around 67 officers from various teams including the roads policing unit, dog section, and the support group as well as local neighbourhood officers assembled for a briefing led by Inspector John Davies.

He told them the warrants were intelligence-led and targeted those who are believed to be involved in criminality.

He said: “For us, today is not necessarily about the number of arrests we make but sending that strong message – that we are not going to put up with these issues in Pill.”

Crime figures of incidents in Pill are up 22.4 per cent on this time last year, and up 11.2 per cent in anti-social behaviour incidents, particularly in the Pill, Gaer and Tredegar Park areas.

Violent crime and disorder is up and competing organised crime groups operating in the area are exacerbating the problem.

Sergeant Jason White, neighbourhood sergeant for the Gaer and Tredegar Park wards in Pill, told the Argus there are also issues in Pill that are specific to the ward, rather than the rest of Newport and Gwent.

Those on-going issues include community tensions between different groups living in the area; the supply of Class A drugs; prostitution; street drinking; and anti-social behaviour, particularly since the introduction of dispersal orders in the city centre.

Another issue is transient crime - people from other parts of Newport are coming into Pill with the explicit intention of committing crime.

The Argus joined a team attending an address on Potter Street. Pill is very quiet first thing in the morning, so a convoy of riot vans and marked and unmarked police cars certainly turned heads.

At around 7.10am 11 uniformed and plain clothes officers spilled out of two police vehicles and swarmed the outside of a unremarkable looking terraced house.

They surrounded it and paused before using a battering ram to break down the door and run inside, shouting ‘Police!’

Once inside they shepherded all the occupants into one room before securing the property and beginning a search.

Police found four people inside the property – but not the man they were looking for.

However, after a search Sergeant White told the Argus they had discovered a ‘significant find’ – over 50 wraps heroin – in the kitchen.

All four occupants were arrested and the man they had hoped to find was arrested at another property during the same operation.

As the raid went on, residents on their way to work or taking their children to school slowed their cars as they drove past, curious as to the police presence in the area.

The four people, one woman and three men, were led out in handcuffs at around 8.30am, each flanked by a police officer, and led to the waiting police vans before being taken to Newport Central Police Station.

Meanwhile Pill itself was on lockdown – unbeknownst to residents who went about their morning business, police were using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to ensure none of the people being searched for were leaving the area.

Sergeant White said: “From our perspective, at Potter Street, we made four arrests so it was quite successful. We believe the find to be a quite significant, and the number of arrests made overall today suggest this has been a successful operation.

“But it’s important to remember this is all part of a much bigger picture – we are working in Pill to tackle all off these problems in this area.”

Detective Inspector Justin O’Keefe from Operation Resolute said: “Operation Resolute is a new Gwent Police operation to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour by specifically targeting the small number of offenders in our communities who commit the most crime.

“Today’s warrants were again intelligence-led and are targeting those who are believed to be involved in criminality.”

Inspector John Davies added: “Today’s action involved 67 police officers and staff working together to target that small minority who cause misery and suffering for others. I would urge anyone who has information about those committing crimes in our communities to ring us on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. We look at all information provided to us, and where we can as we have seen today, we do take action.”

* 10 men from Pill, aged 28, 34, 36, 65, 34, 19, 63, 39, 19 and 35 and a 63-year-old woman from Pill were all arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A controlled drugs. A 23-year-old man from Pill was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis, a 35-year-old man from Pill was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and a 39-year-old man and a 32-year-old man from Pill were arrested for vehicle offences

They all remain in custody assisting officers with their enquiries.