West Yorkshire Police have made hundreds of arrests and seized dozens of weapons across Kirklees as a result of a specialist unit operating in the district.
236 arrests have been made and 64 weapons have been seized in Kirklees since April 2020 due to Operation Jemlock, which aims to reduce violent crime in the district.
Recent activity includes the seizure of a large kitchen knife from a teenage male in Huddersfield on August 9 and the recovery of a replica handgun and a knife from a residence in Bristall following a call out for threatening behaviour.
Operation Jemlock was set up in April 2019 following consultation between Chief Constable, John Robins QPM, the Home Office and local police chiefs to reduce violent crime across West Yorkshire.
Additional funding was provided for Jemlock in April 2020 so the operation could continue in particular hotspot areas of Kirklees to reduce violent crime.
West Yorkshire Police officers have made more than 3,100 arrests across the region since April 2019 and contributed to a 12 per cent reduction in knife crime.
Superintendent Damon Solley, who leads Operation Jemlock, said: “We have maintained active deployments in Kirklees throughout this year and worked closely to support our colleagues in Kirklees District in reducing violent crime.
“Clearly we have continued to build on our operations in 2019 and I’m really pleased that my officers have contributed in a significant fashion to public safety in the district by making hundreds of arrests and seizing 64 weapons since this April.
“Our officers have been deploying in key areas across Kirklees to target known offenders, carry out visible patrols, utilise stop and search where appropriate and respond to incidents of violence.
“We have also attended at ongoing reports of crime such as a report of suspicious activity at a property in Huddersfield in May at which the team discovered a large cannabis factory.”
Detective Superintendent Jim Griffiths of Kirklees Police said: “Violent crime has been reducing in Kirklees District and the activities of Operation Jemlock have played a real role in this and in bolstering work ongoing by Kirklees detectives and police officers.
“Knife crime in Kirklees District was down by 27 per cent between April 2019 and March 2020, compared to the year before, and those positive trends are continuing as officers continue operations to take weapons off our streets.
“Of course there is much more to be done, and we continue to target the use of weapons at all levels ranging from lone individuals carrying knives, to the use of firearms by organised crime gangs.
“Our message remains that the carrying of any type of weapon is absolutely not acceptable and will not be tolerated by the police or by the communities we serve.
“If you have information about the possession or use of weapons please do not to keep this information to yourself and please contact the police.
“Kirklees Police can be contacted directly through 101 or calls can be made direct to Crimestoppers in complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
“All information is assessed, investigated, and does help us get those weapons off our streets.”
