More than £1.5m of cannabis was seized in Batley and Spen last year, according to new date

Officers from the Batley and Spen Neighbourhood Policing Team have vowed to keep up the pressure on drugs criminals into 2023 after seizing over 1500 plants in a series of raids on cannabis farms in 2022.

Police have thanked those who continue to report criminal activity in their communities and said local intelligence can prove to be vital in helping them target drugs activity.

Notable seizures in the area include the discovery and removal of 310 plants from an address on Carlinghow Hill in Batley in February and 169 plants from an address in Sharpe Street at Heckmondwike in November.

A total of 265 plants were also seized from the former Brighton Hotel premises in December 2022.

NPT officers carried out 22 raids on cannabis farms in total over the 2022 period.

Meanwhile, officers also recovered over 100 cars either reported as stolen or found on cloned plates and therefore linked to criminal activity in the same period.

Significant recent initiatives included multi agency operations in the area in November as part of the national Road Safety Week.

Initiatives in Wilton Park in Batley and in Batley town centre saw officers and partners seize a number of cars, recover two stolen vehicles and make arrests of offences or offences including drug dealing.

Inspector David Bates of the Batley and Spen NPT, said: “Money created by the production of cannabis goes straight into the hands of organised criminals and funds the activity they carry out which causes misery in communities.

“Organised crime groups are routinely involved in offences such as trafficking, the exploitation of vulnerable people and the violent crime which police, partners and residents have been working so hard to reduce.

“Every time we close down a cannabis factory we are taking money out of criminals pockets and harming their operations, which can only be a good thing for us all.”

He added “The support we have seen from residents in reporting suspected criminal activity in Batley and Spen has been fantastic over the past 12 months with community intelligence playing a role in a number of these significant seizures.

“Please can I ask that any information regarding drugs and other crime is passed through to ourselves so that we can continue to target criminal activity of any nature. “Your help does make a difference.”

Anyone who has information about criminal activity in Heckmondwike can report it to Kirklees Police on 101 or online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat

Information can also always be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.