Bags of heroin dumped in Sheffield city centre as police mount drugs operation

Operation Sidewinder, which took place on Friday, March 11, was hailed a success by South Yorkshire Police.

Nine people were stopped and searched, resulting in one man being arrested, and another detained for interview.

During the operation, officers were alerted to a man who had a joint of cannabis on him, but checks at the scene revealed that he was wanted for questioning over an alleged serious assault and a breach of court order.

Another man was detained for interview over alleged abuse towards shop staff.

MORE: 11 Sheffield drug dealers jailed for 40 years following year-long Operation River crackdown

Operation Sidewinder has been running for two and a half years and aims to create ‘a hostile environment for criminals’ while at the same time providing reassure to the public through increased police visibility.

It combines the use of CCTV, a sniffer dog, undercover officers and police intelligence to catch offenders and prevent drug use and anti-social behaviour.

Sniffer dog Rosco is trained to identify people carrying drugs.

For the operation to be effective, police officers strike randomly, when offenders are least expecting it.

Sgt Jon Simpson said: “It’s quite interesting and what you’ll find it is proper policing, it’s proper proactive policing and the cops really enjoy working it because it’s what they joined the job for. It’s proper engagement with the public, the public have a chat with us, but then it’s also then getting hands on and dealing with people we need to be dealing with.”

There were four stop and searches on the High Street outside Sports Direct, one on Fargate, one on Arundel Gate and three outside Sheffield train station.

A bag of 20 wraps of suspected heroin was found dumped onto the ground outside Sports Direct, with police officers suspecting that a dealer spotted them and got rid of the evidence before they could be caught and arrested.

PC Sam Harrison said: “I think the public want to see more police, that’s the general feedback we get all the time. So us being out here, we’re available, visible, providing a presence in the city centre, it puts off potential anti-social behaviour and other stuff. If someone wants to come over and ask something, then they can speak to us.”

The officer added: “It’s a good idea, it makes us more accessible to people who think we’re hidden in an office or stuck in a car.”

To pass on information about those dealing drugs in Sheffield, call 101.

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