Boy, 16, arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs in Sheffield city centre

The teenager was arrested as part of Operation Sidewinder, which hit the streets of Sheffield last weekend in the ongoing war against drugs.

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Over 30 people were stopped and searched by officers from the Central and North West neighbourhood policing team as well as members of the newly formed Serious Violent Crime Taskforce.

The suspected teenage drug dealer was held on suspicion of dealing cocaine before being released under investigation.

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Three other arrests were made for possession of Class A drugs and three members of the public received cautions for cannabis possession.Inspector John Mallows said: “Operation Sidewinder is taking to the streets more frequently and we are continuing to see excellent results using these innovative tactics. “This is a high visibility operation, which sees a chain of officers patrol key routes around the city centre, past bars, pubs and clubs with a passive drugs dog. “People shouldn’t be alarmed by this activity, they should be reassured that we are taking action to deal with drug use and supply in our city centre.

“We know there is a link between drugs and violence in the night time economy and this is one of the tools we are using to deal with issues. “This weekend saw a huge number of students arrive in the city and our officers had conversations with lots of parents, who were pleased to see us.

“We want Sheffield to continue to be a safe night out for everyone, residents, students and businesses too.”