This in from the police, in their own words. Ed
The campaign is not targeting individual growers but criminal gangs who rent domestic properties and turn them into cannabis factories by hijacking the electrical supply, stripping out all the rooms for plants and often using trafficked people – many of them minors – to undertake their work. Organised criminals from home and abroad see cannabis cultivation in this country as a low risk, high profit venture, and use it to fund a range of other criminal activities such as trafficking, gun crime and Class A drugs.
There is clear evidence that serious and organised criminal groups are using cannabis cultivation as a means to further their criminal activity.
The cards – which contain no harmful ingredients – give off the sickly sweet smell to which the public should be alert. Other signs include –
- Constantly covered or blocked off windows
- Visitors at unsociable hours
- Strong and constant lighting day and night
- High levels of heat and condensation
- Constant buzz of ventilation
- Lots of cables and cannabis cultivation equipment
Hampshire Constabulary Detective Superintendent Kath Barnes said:
“Cannabis is often seen as harmless and somehow acceptable. This is just not the case. It’s harmful to use and many people including children, across the world, are exploited in furtherance of the cannabis trade. Through Operation Fortress, we will continue to work with our partners across the two counties to reduce supply, restrict demand and rebuild communities. The Crimestoppers Cannabis Cultivation campaign has our full support.”
Founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC said:
“The campaign run by Crimestoppers last year highlighted just how much people care about removing cannabis farms from their community.
“Quite often, those running cannabis cultivation operations are also involved in other serious and organised crime, such as human trafficking and possession of weapons. So I would urge the public to contact Crimestoppers in order to try and keep their communities free from cannabis farms.”
Crimestoppers Director of Operations, Roger Critchell said:
“This is a crime that can lead to much more serious incidents which is why we feel it’s important to reinforce our appeal for information from the public. We’re not looking to target individual users, we’re looking at something much bigger here, something much more dangerous, and we are targeting serious and organised crime groups who are involved in this illicit trade.”
Home Office Crime Prevention Minister, Norman Baker said:
“There is a strong link between commercial cannabis cultivation and organised crime, with the same gangs often involved in further criminality such as modern slavery, trafficking and the use of firearms.
“We are determined to protect and support victims and pursue criminals making money from the misery of innocent people.
“Initiatives like the Crimestoppers campaign are invaluable in helping frontline officers protect society by stopping the supply of harmful drugs and cracking down on related crime.”
National Police Lead for Cannabis, Chief Superintendent Bill Jephson said:
“Those who commercially cultivate cannabis are serious and organised criminals often involved in other criminal ventures. Houses in residential areas are used to produce the cannabis, which brings violent offenders into the heart of our communities and leads to a real risk of fire and flood.
“We’re working with Crimestoppers again this year to fight back and keep our communities safe.
“Ordinary people who come forward and share their concerns will be our best source of information. The campaign explains the tell-tale signs that a cannabis farm exists and how people can ensure the information they have gets to the police in confidence. I would urge everyone to act as our eyes and ears or, in this case, our noses to sniff out the criminals.”
Call for help from residents
Crimestoppers is asking members of the public to pass on any information about cannabis farms anonymously by telephoning 0800 555 111 or via our Anonymous Online Form via www.crimestoppers-uk.org .
Both routes are 100% anonymous – names are not taken, calls and IP addresses are not traced or recorded and people do not have to go to court. To find out more about the campaign visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/scratchandsniff.
Second year of campaign
The campaign is being run for a second year with seventeen police forces after the successful outcomes from 2013. Information passed to Crimestoppers on cannabis cultivation increased by 28 per cent in the month following the launch in March 2013. Over 800 pieces of information about cannabis crime were passed to law enforcement in the first week – an increase of 59 per cent on the previous seven days.
Energy theft
Energy regulator OFGEM confirmed last year that a third of all costs relating to energy theft came as a result of cannabis cultivation – amounting to around £70 million.
In addition to eight energy companies, other organisations affected by cannabis cultivation are supporting the campaign, including property sector trade associations, Neighbourhood Watch and the Chief Fire Officers Association.
Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, the charity has helped to seize illegal drugs with a street value of over £312 million.
