Community intelligence leads police to homes of suspected drug dealers in Skelmersdale

Jun 30 2011 by Tom Duffy, Skelmersdale Advertiser

Community intelligence leads police to homes of suspected drug dealers in Skelmersdale

THREE Skelmersdale men have appeared in court charged with drugs offences after police carried out raids in the town.

John Farrimond, 37, of Uppingham, was charged with two counts of supplying heroin, and Kevin Hornsby, 39, of Elmstead, was charged with possessing heroin with intent to supply and three counts of supplying heroin.

Shane Davies, 31, of Carfield was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and two counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin.

The three men all appeared at Preston Magistrates’ court yesterday morning.

The charges follow a major police operation on Tuesday morning when front doors were downed and police poured in to two Elmstead flats on the Tanhouse estate.

Simultaneous raids took place in Uppingham and Carfield.

The Advertiser understands the Misuse of Drugs Act warrants were executed after police received intelligence from the community that heroin and crack cocaine were being sold from private addresses in the town.

The raids on Elmstead took place yards from Hillside Primary , and a group of pupils wandered past the police operation as they made their way to school.

One Elmstead resident waived away apologies from the police and said she was glad to see them doing their job.

Chief Insp Geoff Hurst explained how his years of experience as a young neighbourhood bobby on the beat in Skelmersdale rewarded him with an understanding of each estate.

He said: "This morning’s police activity in Tanhouse does not mean this is a troubled estate.

“We are targeting isolated pockets of criminality.

“We are committed to taking Class A drugs off our streets and today’s activity shows that we will take action against those we suspect of being involved in drug crime.

“This is a focused police response to a community problem. We have asked the public to work with us and they have sent us a very clear message that they do not want people who illegally deal drugs to live among them.

“Our work does not end here – we will continue to target individuals we suspect to be involved with drugs and we will continue to work with neighbourhoods affected by drug dealing to help make sure that new dealers don’t enter the market.

“Anyone who suspects drug dealers in their community can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”