Police made five arrests and seized no end of booty in a major bid to stamp out robbery in the town.

As part of Operation Rovik, officers seized four knives – including two machetes – almost £1,000 in cash, and Class A drugs as well as mobile phones suspected to be used in drug dealing,

During Wednesday night (July 16), four arrests were made on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon following eight stop and searches.

The following evening (July 17), one person was arrested on suspicion of robbery, leading to a charge and remand. Six stop and searches were carried out, with five resulting in Class B drug seizures. Three individuals were referred to the Youth Offending Team, and one fixed penalty notice was issued for aggressive begging in the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) area.

placeholder image — The seized weapons and drugs

Overnight on Friday (July 18), nine stop and searches led to the seizure of Class B drugs and the recovery of one knife. And just yesterday (Monday), officers conducted eight stop and searches, recovering one knife and seizing Class B drugs.

Detective Inspector Emma Huggett, from Bedfordshire Police, said: "Every search, every arrest, every weapon seized, and every piece of intelligence gathered as part of Op Rovik is helping us build a clearer picture of those driving this violence. We are also taking drugs off the streets and penalising those involved in their sale.

“There is a clear and dangerous link between the drugs trade and violent crime including robbery. Robberies are extremely traumatic for victims, and no-one has the right to steal with the threat of violence. We are determined to disrupt this type of criminality using a variety of resources and tactics employed by our Community Enforcement Team.

"Our patrols will continue, as will our ongoing investigations. We will continue to identify proactive opportunities to identify and arrest those conducting these robberies.”