POLICE carried out dawn raids at the homes of suspected criminals and drug dealers in Hounslow this morning.
They arrested a man in Chaucer Avenue, Cranford, for possession of cannabis following a period of surveillance. Screams from a woman and children were heard as the police broke through the door.
Officers also discovered a firearm and cannabis at a property in Holderness Close, close to Marlborough Primary School and Nursery.
Superintendent Paul Martin said police had been concerned for some time by the resident of this house, and had warned Hounslow Council that he was not a desirable resident to be living so near a school. So far nothing has been done about this, he said.
Police called on a specialist Firearm Recovering Team to attend and make sure the weapon was safe to handle, it will later be checked for forensic evidence.
Four specialised units made up of officers from the Borough Task Force and the Serious Acquisitive Crime squad are working throughout the Hounslow area as part of a wider spreading operation running through the whole of the Metropolitan Police.
During this ‘day of activity’ police have followed a structured action plan, constructed and led by Superintendent Paul Martin, Chief Inspector Weir and Inspector Ricky Kandohla, who gave the briefing at 7am. Today will include 30 warrants, all drugs related, based on strategically gained evidence. The team are hopeful for more arrests this afternoon.
Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne was in attendance to oversee how the raids were carried out. He said that he had come to see how they were getting on as they have recently had such a glowing record.
Operation Hawk, covering all London Boroughs, is based on interaction between police and community. By building up good relationships with the people living in their areas, police can focus specifically on the areas of crime troubling the community. Then by carrying out surveillance work, they check that there is sufficient evidence for a warrant.
