Man arrested in major Craven and Harrogate police operation

The North Yorkshire Police operation which is called Op Tornado saw officers takes to the streets of Skipton and other areas on Wednesday morning.

One resident yesterday told the Craven Herald they to say they saw "armed police in the Belmont Bridge area" of Skipton.

The person said "there were a load of police about" and they were "worried".

At midday on Wednesday, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: "There is a planned high-visibility policing operation in Skipton area today, called Op Tornado.

"It started early this morning and is still going on."

A briefing shows the huge number of police officers involved in Op Tornado (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

The police have released a full statement explaining the extent of the operation which included not only Craven but the Harrogate district.

The police spokesperson said: “We’ve arrested a man on suspicion of drug offences and money laundering after an early-morning warrant operation.

“We also seized a large amount of cash from the house in Knaresborough.

“It’s part of Operation Tornado, an intensification day to disrupt criminality, make arrests and respond to the issues that matter most to communities.

“As well as targeted enforcement operations, teams have been providing a high-visibility presence on the streets of Craven and Harrogate districts, with patrols in town centres, residential and rural areas.

“We've also been doing retail crime prevention patrols and knife detection operations in Skipton, a public safety demonstrations in Skipton town centre and an intensified road policing presence targeting key routes to stop criminals travelling into and around the county.

“Op Tornado is designed to be tough on crime and supportive to communities as it moves around different areas of the county.

“Recent deployments in other districts have resulted in dozens of arrests for serious offences, intensified patrols, special community engagement events and lots crime prevention work.

“Following Wednesday’s warrant in Knaresborough, a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs, money laundering and possession of criminal property.

“He has been taken into custody where he remains while enquiries are carried out.”

Attending the warrant operation on Wednesday, Chief Constable Tim Forber said: “Operation Tornado is about using the full force of North Yorkshire Police to deal with the issues that matter most to communities.

“It’s really important that the public know that North Yorkshire Police is on their side.

“And if you’re a criminal in North Yorkshire, you need to know that we’re out and about undertaking activities that will make it as difficult as possible for you to operate.”