Police target cross-border crime in Flintshire operation

Police across Flintshire and Chester joined forces for a major cross-border crackdown on criminal activity, resulting in arrests, vehicle seizures, and the disruption of serious and organised crime.

On Thursday 24 April, officers from North Wales Police and Cheshire Constabulary, supported by partner agencies, carried out a day of action focused on tackling crime across the border areas.

The operation targeted a wide range of offences, from drug dealing and immigration offences to traffic violations and vehicle crime.

Six arrests were made in Flintshire alone for offences including possession with intent to supply drugs, driving while disqualified, and immigration offences.

The day saw teams from specialist units, trading standards, immigration enforcement, and the fire service working together in a high-visibility operation designed to reassure local communities and disrupt criminal activity between Flintshire and Chester.

Heavy goods vehicles were stopped and checked at Ewloe Weighbridge, leading to the identification of overloading offences and fraudulent driving licences, while a number of uninsured vehicles were seized during stops across the two counties.

Several business premises, including car washes, a nail bar and restaurants, were visited by joint teams to check for signs of exploitation, illegal working and fire safety breaches.

In Flintshire, illegal vapes and a large quantity of illicit tobacco and hand-rolled cigarettes were seized from a store, with further immigration offences identified at other businesses.

Drone units, licensing officers, and road policing teams were also active throughout the day, leading to the issuing of 22 Traffic Offence Reports for speeding, mobile phone use, vehicle defects, and driving without insurance.

Among the more unusual incidents, a road bike rider was spotted ‘wheelieing’ in front of officers, and three overloaded vehicles were stopped, including one carrying a Ferrari on a low loader.

Flintshire North Inspector Wes Williams said: “This operation was launched to tackle serious and organised crime across North Wales and Cheshire and to reassure the public that we are out there and we’re available. Through combining resources, intelligence, and the enforcement powers of the police and partner agencies, we achieved our main objective of working closely with our colleagues in Cheshire Constabulary to disrupt cross-border criminals.”

He added: “We remain absolutely committed to working with neighbouring forces to pursue offenders and, together, we will continue to make North Wales the safest place to live, work, and visit.”

Inspector James Wilson from Chester Local Policing Unit echoed those comments, saying: “Throughout the day we used a whole host of tactics to disrupt criminal activity in Chester and North Wales. Operations and partnership working with other police forces is so important and demonstrates that 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.”

The full list of significant activities during the operation included:

• Six arrests in Flintshire for possession with intent to supply, driving while disqualified and immigration offences.
• Heavy goods vehicle stops at Ewloe Weighbridge with checks for overloading and fraudulent licences.
• High visibility foot and vehicle patrols across both areas with several stop-searches in Flintshire.
• Visits to businesses by Trading Standards, Immigration Enforcement and fire service teams.
• Deployment of drones for monitoring and evidence gathering.
• GoSafe vans and speed detection units deployed.
• Multiple vehicles seized for no insurance and other offences.
• Licensing checks across Flintshire and Cheshire, including stop checks on 26 taxis.
• Rural Crime Team checks on agricultural vehicles and trailers.
• Armed foot patrols in Chester city centre.
• Six warrants targeting XL Bully dogs in Cheshire, resulting in two seizures.
• North West Underwater Search Unit search at Cow Lane Bridge, recovering three discarded mobile phones.
• Speed enforcement vans and static ANPR deployed in Chester area.
• British Transport Police County Lines Task Force operations at Chester Railway Station and surrounding areas.
• Vehicle stops targeting cross-border criminals along the A55, M56, M53 and nearby roads.
• Police say further joint operations are planned for the coming months.