A total of 17 people have been arrested following a number of police raids in homes and hotels in Middlesbrough.
Cleveland Police along with Middlesbrough Council’s Trading Standards and Enforcement Officers, Thirteen Housing and others, completed a day of action on Thursday, April 10. Operation Artemis started as officers raided two homes in the Evergreen Walk and the Macbean Street areas of North Ormesby.
A quantity of Class C drugs were recovered and two men, aged 40 and 69, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class C drugs. Dog Support Unit worked with the Dedicated Drug Unit to search and intercept suspected drugs being transported through the international post system. Officers attended the Royal Mail sorting office in Middlesbrough.
No drugs were located during the search. Officers also attended a number of addresses to locate outstanding suspects for a number of offences.
There were also visits to a number of known offenders and to hotels, as part of Operation Makeshift, which aims to help tackle child sexual exploitation and protect vulnerable young people. The operation educates staff in the hospitality sector to help identify potential victims of child exploitation and appropriately report concerns to the police.
In total, 10 untaxed vehicles were taken off the streets of Middlesbrough, working together with the environmental enforcement team from the local authority and the DVLA ANPR team. Two premises closure notices were served by Trading Standards.

District Commander, Superintendent Marc Anderson, said: “Yesterday we saw some great work as a number of teams came together with partner agencies for a concentrated day of action in Middlesbrough under Operation Artemis. his has resulted in the arrest of 17 people and important education and safeguarding work being carried out, which helps protect local people.
“We’re not complacent and whilst we have seen some great results, in Middlesbrough our teams strive to continue to carry out proactivity like this every day in order to tackle criminals and safeguard our communities.”
Matrix officers carried out proactive patrols for off-road bikes and carried out checks on vehicles, resulting in 16 traffic offence reports for suspected crimes including driving while using a mobile phone and two court summons were issued for speeding. Local neighbourhood officers also carried out visits to local schools including Berwick Hills Primary School, Sunnyside Academy and Beechgrove Primary School where officers delivered presentations antisocial behaviour and online safety.
Councillor Janet Thompson, Middlesbrough Council ’s Executive member for Neighbourhoods, added: “Operation Artemis is a fantastic example of what we can achieve on behalf of law-abiding residents when we work alongside our partners. Drugs, exploitation and dangerous, illegal vehicles all blight communities, so this day of action has had a major impact.
“It sends out a powerful message that these people have no place to hide, and with the invaluable support of the public we will take them off our streets.”
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