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news
Essex Police: Deputy Chief Constable Andy Bliss with Operation Velo 2010Pedalling policemen put stop to pot production
Yesterday, we reported on Essex Police’s Operation Velo initiative that has put Bobbies back on their bikes in Southend – and the cycling cops have wasted no time in sniffing out crime and feeling some collars.
On Sunday evening, PC Paul Sheldrake and PCSO Luke Gamman, both members of the Operation Velo team, were patrolling the Woodgrange Estate on their bicycles when they smelt something suspicious.
Following his nose – literally – PC Sheldrake tracked the pungent aroma to an address on Woodgrange Drive, where he discovered a cannabis factory.
According to local newspaper the Echo, four men in their twenties were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis, two from Southend and two from London. Some 4 cannabis plants were also seized.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- alexuk 32 min 14 sec ago
You guys have heard of Decathlon right? ...their bag range is very good these days.
- joules1975 44 min 4 sec ago
Big problem with this test, and others. It doesn't account for faff time. How long did it take to prep for the commute, and how long was there...
- don simon fbpe 1 hour 50 min ago
James Cleverley, just another lying right winger... #wancyr
- NotNigel 1 hour 57 min ago
.....yeah, I'm finding that one extra click of 'done' when my ride loads and it saves with my default settings really annoying and time consuming....
- Rendel Harris 2 hours 23 min ago
Actually in terms of fatalities per billion miles travelled pedestrians come off slightly worse than cyclists, with 27 deaths per billion miles...
- David W 2 hours 24 min ago
I don't actually upload my clips to social media, but if I wanted to, how would I know when the case had been concluded if the only contact the...
- Bungle_52 2 hours 26 min ago
Thank you for your comments. Just a couple of points....
- Aluminium can 8 hours 51 min ago
If the cost of a new car is equal to six months net income and you keep it for six years then it needs to reduce your commuting time by 1 month per...
- Blackthorne 12 hours 21 min ago
Even if one were to take this idiot's side, the lack of information on exactly what words/actions were exchanged means it isn't even possible to...
- Dogless 12 hours 39 min ago
Absurd, and I expect better from those involved, particularly York Cycle Campaign who are usually great. I suspect it's just crap reporting e.g. ...
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5 comments
Just goes to help the case that taking coppers out of their tin boxes and putting them back on the streets, either on foot or bike, gets them closer to the people and more aware of their surroundings.
Four plants?- I thought from your headline they'd nabbed Mr Big or Mr Nice; do you have a friend in the Essex Police press office?
It does show the advantage of not being cocooned from the world in a car though, I suppose.
Is there anywhere you can report these vehicles and the drivers to the police?
I followed a Council recycling collection van in Bristol for 3 miles or so a while back and there was a very pungent aroma of cannabis coming from the vehicle - I made a point not to overtake.
Perhaps pot sniffing cycle cops could also crack down on drivers. I'd just reached the end of my road this morning when I came up behind the first, a bloke in a white Mercedes van. I overtook the second on the South Circular, being already aware of what he was doing and having made sure I had plenty of room. On average I pass about two drivers/day smoking cannabis while behind the wheel. Cops in patrol cars would never know.
This is a serious safety problem in the UK. At the moment the authorities do not have drug testing kits for drivers either. There is widespread research showing that drivers who smoke cannabis while driving present similar risks to drink drivers. There is also research suggesting that drivers who smoke cannabis at the wheel are more likely to be involved in accidents, drive defective vehicles, have no insurance, MOT or current/valid licence and be connected with criminal behvaiour of one sort or another.