A day of action and more arrests

Dear All,

As part of Operation Varenna which is focusing on drug taking and the associated anti-social behaviour it causes on our ward we conducted a large scale patrol today. This involved officers from the Vincent Square team and others from neighbouring wards in Pimlico and St James's, as well as our partners from Westminster City Council.

The day of action resulted in six stop and searches and two arrests. Those arrests included high profile local dealers who many of you will have seen on our streets in recent months.

This operation is a long term commitment and we will be repeating this kind of deployment on a regular basis until at least, Christmas.

Much of the intelligence which informs these patrols comes from residents and our partner organisations in the area. It really is a collective effort and we are grateful for your invaluable input.

There is no quick fix to this problem and the damage it causes, but we are determined to maintain the focus and make our ward a high risk location for those who come here to sell and take drugs.

Many thanks