POLICE have cracked down on knife crime in the Royal Borough, stopping people for carrying weapons and taking drugs off the streeets.

Thames Valley Police said between July 21 and September 1, an operation to target knife crime and county drugs lines took place in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Officers carried out more than 400 patrolling hours resulting in 26 stop and searches, three arrests, three weapons seized and six drug diversions made.

Detective Sergeant Ryan Powell, of Windsor and Maidenhead Local Policing Area said: “Officers have been working hard this summer to tackle knife crime and county drug lines operating in the Windsor and Maidenhead area as part of Operation Lido.

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“The areas targeted were highlighted through community led intelligence and partnership working. In particular, the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit data dashboard, which pulls together data from the police and partners and can highlight “hot spot” areas of crime, individuals at risk of exploitation or potential knife carriers, has been effective at highlighting and focusing our enforcement activity.

“You may have seen some of our officers in uniform but we have also been using a range of covert tactics.

“I am pleased with the results of this operation, which could not have been achieved without the public’s help.

“We rely heavily on intelligence from the community, so if you have any concerns around potential county drug line activity or those carrying knives, it is really important you reach out to us via our website, 101 or the independent charity Crrimestoppers, so we can put appropriate interventions in place, or use the full force of the law when suitable.”