£100,000 gems haul in police crackdown

Operation Maximum Impact was a joint initiative by South, West and North Yorkshire police and the Humberside force to tackle cross-border crime and a range of issues affecting all areas, including drug dealing, the trade in stolen goods, metal thefts and car crime.

Across South Yorkshire, the operation led to 2,370 arrests, the removal of 1,200 stolen, uninsured or untaxed cars from the roads and seizure of 230 weapons.

Drugs worth 720,000 were found, including 100,000 worth of cannabis in a factory in Doncaster, 80,000 worth of cocaine in a house in Barnsley and 16,000 worth of heroin in another property.

Police also seized 100,000 worth of diamond necklaces and rings during one raid in Doncaster. These are thought to have been bought in a money laundering operation aimed at trying to hide profits of crime.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Paul Broadbent said: "By working together in this unique way we gave criminals nowhere to hide, and we will be doing this level of activity again and again.

"Some criminals don't stray far from home, but there are others who travel miles and miles to commit crime, which is why we have joined forces with our colleagues in neighbouring counties.

"With the local policing structure we have in place in South Yorkshire we can concentrate on local criminals and really make a difference, and by continuing to work with neighbouring forces we can also tackle the travelling criminals so that they feel the pinch as well."

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