Joint cross border operation targeted serious and organised crime in Flintshire and Cheshire

North Wales Police and Cheshire Constabulary conducted a significant cross-border operation on Thursday, November 28, aiming to disrupt serious and organised crime between Flintshire and Chester.

The collaborative effort, known as Operation Liberator, resulted in multiple arrests, seizures, and a reassuring presence for local communities.

The operation saw officers from Flintshire North Policing Team and Chester’s Local Policing Unit working alongside partner organisations, including Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement, to target criminal activity across both counties.

The activities across both areas included:

• Nine arrests in Flintshire for various offences.
• The Roads and Crime Team was deployed to the border targeting cross border criminals, where they stopped more than 60 vehicles.
• High visibility patrols, resulting in a number of stop searches being carried out in Flintshire.
• Passive drugs dogs were deployed in Chester city centre, including at Chester Railway Station.
• Drone deployment across Flintshire.
• Trading Standards visits were carried out at stores in Chester, utilising a specialist search dog courtesy of Trading Standards who searched for illicit cigarettes.
• The Safer Streets van and Cyber Crime Team were in Chester to provide crime prevention and safety advice.
• The North Wales Police Rural Crime Team were deployed with Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team.
• Licensing visits took place across Flintshire and Cheshire to check premises were compliant with licensing conditions.
• Taxi licensing was carried out in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council, involving stop checks of taxis to ensure they were complying with regulations.
• The North West Underwater Search Unit was deployed to Garden Lane canal bridge for a proactive search of the canal for any illegal items that may have been discarded. They also carried out a patrol of the canal to provide a reassuring presence and deter any criminality.

Over the course of the day, between the two police forces, there was a total of 12 arrests, 22 stop searches, more than 60 vehicles stopped, and a significant seizure of illegal cigarettes and vapes.

There was also a total of six immigration arrests, five vehicle seizures, and six Traffic Offence Reports.

Flintshire North Inspector Wes Williams said: “Operation Liberator is an operation launched to tackle serious and organised crime across North Wales and Cheshire, where we’re working with partners, such as Immigration, Trading Standards, and Licensing.

“The day was about reassuring the public that we are out there, we’re available, and we’ll continue to run these operations on a regular basis to ensure we’re supporting our communities.

“We urge residents to continue telling us about concerns in their area, which enables us to act on intelligence to make Flintshire North a safe place to live, work and visit.”

Inspector James Wilson, of Chester Local Policing Unit, Cheshire Police, said: “The operation today has been a great success with multiple arrests, stop searches, and seizures.

“Throughout the day we used a whole host of tactics to disrupt criminal activity in Cheshire, but it is important to note that we use these regularly as part of our everyday policing tactics.

“Going forwards, these regular operations will be an excellent opportunity to highlight that we work closely with our cross-border colleagues in North Wales, as well as our partners here in Cheshire.

“As demonstrated, we are committed to doing all we can to tackle criminal behaviour head-on and ensure the Cheshire/North Wales border remains a hostile place for criminals.”