A major six-month Kingston police drugs operation resulted in just 15 convictions – despite officers making almost 250 arrests.
According to statistics obtained through a Freedom of Information request, 249 people were arrested and 15 convicted as part of Operation Odin – an initiative launched in October 2014 to “reduce crime and anti-social behaviour associated with drugs supply” in the borough.
More than 15kg of cannabis with a street value of about £112,000 was also seized as part of a drug deal, though no conviction resulted. DI Adam Guttridge, who ran Operation Odin, defended the results, saying Kingston police only originally targeted convictions for about 15 of the borough’s “key individuals”.
Among those was Demis Ubiribo, 37, of Brighton Road, Surbiton, who was sentenced to six years in prison for dealing heroin in a Surbiton street in May last year. He was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.
For the remaining 196 arrests, which came for offences such as possession of cannabis, warnings were issued or out-of-court disposals. A total of £27,465 was also taken and a further seven cash seizures made under police officers’ power of seizure without making an arrest.
In February, Kingston Police launched Operation Vulcan, – a drug dealing crackdown which targeted “drug supply lines” coming from outside the borough. The operation is set to finish in July. Operation Odin was mostly funded through Kingston police’s normal business’ budgets, though an extra £16,800 was taken from Proceeds of Crime Act funding – money seized or confiscated as part of police activities.
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