More than £2 million worth of drugs have been discovered within the county in one year. 

In the last 12 months, Operation Sentinel officers have made hundreds of arrests, resulting in 2,551 weeks of custodial sentences, as well as 39 driving disqualifications and 93 Traffic Offence Reports being issued.

The team has been in operation in 2019 and was set up to disrupt criminal activities on the county's roads. 

Between April 2023 and March 2023 more than 1,000 vehicles have been stopped, resulting in several hundred arrests.

Of these arrests, 26 of them were for possession of offensive weapons while 225 arrests were for drug supply offences related to serious organised crime.

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Officers also say 223 drug wipes were administered and 101 samples were returned positive, with the amount of drugs seized reaching a total value of £2 million.

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Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore added: “The Sentinel teams were funded by Suffolk residents through the council tax precept and as the arrests show, the investment continues to pay dividends.

"This proactive policing approach is exactly what the people of Suffolk asked for, so I am delighted to see it having such a dramatic impact.

"Suffolk is one of the safest counties in the country, but that's not to say there aren't challenges which the constabulary needs to be equipped to deal with.

"These three Sentinel teams are helping to proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increase police visibility, which is great news for us all.”

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Detective Chief Inspector Anna Powell said: “Our Sentinel officers are on the front line of ensuring Suffolk remains as inhospitable place as possible for those using our road network for their criminal activities.

“They are highly effective at targeting and detecting these criminals and the organised crime gangs they are part of.

“This all forms part of our work, alongside partners, to keep Suffolk safe and protect some of our most vulnerable residents who are often disproportionately affected by these criminals and their activities.”