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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Police launch major crackdown on cannabis farms Geoff Barnes Wirral Globe Monday 05 Mar 2012 Superintendent Mark Harrison, who is leading "Operation Broadly" for Merseyside Police, said: "There is a strong and distinctive smell to cannabis and I would urge any members of the public to contact us if they suspect it may be growing somewhere so we can help rid our communities of this danger.” More than 5,120 cannabis factories containing more than 345,000 plants with an estimated potential street value of around £140m have been discovered across the North West in the last three years. In Wirral, the number of cannabis factories discovered by police has more than doubled in the past three years – from 48 in 2009, to 82 in 2010 and 106 last year. Across Merseyside, the number of cannabis plants seized increased between 2009 to 2010 from 20,446 to 25,216. Last year showed a slight drop to 24,148. Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (Titan), alongside the six regional police forces - Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire, North Wales and Cumbria - launched a month-long operation on Monday to turn the screw on growers. During the month, there will an increase in police activity, including a number of strike days, to raise awareness of the problem. It will also highlight the dangers of cannabis cultivation and urge members of the community who suspect cannabis is being grown in their neighbourhoods to call police. Officers are working with utility companies, garden centres, DIY stores, local authorities, fire services and the Royal Mail to help them to spot the signs that cannabis is being grown and the typical equipment being bought by criminals for cannabis cultivation. Detective Superintendent John Lyons, from Titan, said: "Cannabis is not the harmless drug it is often perceived to be and is the most-used illegal drug in the UK. "An increasing number of people who grow cannabis are directly funding dangerous, organised criminal gangs. "These gangs are often responsible for gun crime, violence and intimidation across the North West. "Titan and the region's forces take the cultivation and supply of cannabis extremely seriously. "Drugs and their associated activity cause misery to our communities and we act on all information we receive to disrupt and ultimately prevent those involved in the drugs trade from operating on our streets. "The public of the North West are our eyes and ears and we appeal to anyone with any information about cannabis cultivation in their area to make contact during this month of action and beyond. "We will act on all information provided to us to ensure that those involved in the cultivation of cannabis are brought to justice." In Merseyside, there have been 1,214 people arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis in hundreds of raids in the last three years. Superintendent Harrison added: "We are seeing an increasing trend among organised crime groups in Merseyside to grow cannabis with firearms incidents and other serious criminality arising when factions steal each other's crops and associated money. "People who grow cannabis often have a total disregard for the safety of others, frequently endangering the lives of those in neighbouring properties by tampering with electricity supplies and leaving live electrical cables exposed, increasing the risk of fire. "Hazardous waste is often left inside properties or in nearby public spaces and premises can be left structurally unsafe, which is a real concern in our streets. "We urge anyone with any information about suspected cannabis farms in their area to call us so we can take action against the offenders." http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/9569505.Police_launch_major_crackdown_on_cannabis_farms/
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