Collaboration

Our approach is positive, but in line with our dual statutory duties to collaborate and secure value for money for our communities, we will be:

• open-minded: deliver services collaboratively unless there are good operational or financial reasons not to do so
• flexible and inclusive: consider emerging opportunities and new partners, and seek to keep future options for development open
• strengths-based and equitable: work with our partners to recognise and capitalise on our different strengths and encourage relationships which allow fair compromise to achieve positive outcomes for our communities
• evidence-led: ensure solutions have been comprehensively assessed demonstrating a real understanding of risks, demand, cost and resource allocation
• realistic: ensure plans are sustainable and – where predicted – savings are achievable and timescales realistic
• operationally visible: in our operational collaborations and partnerships we will not support any decisions or actions which would be likely to diminish or undermine the identity and brand of “Gloucestershire Constabulary” as an independent, county-based police force and fully participating component of UK Policing.

These principles do not prevent us from working collaboratively with our partners outside the bounds of formal collaboration agreements to secure the best outcomes and value for our communities.

In line with the Police and Crime Plan, the Constabulary and the PCC seek opportunities to develop our relationships with our closest neighbours in the South-West, and other adjoining forces, to ensure the Constabulary is fully interoperable and the policing of our borders is seamless. We will maintain a strong focus on opportunities to increase interoperability, effectiveness and efficiency.

The Constabulary and the PCC have agreed and support the national NPCC and APCC’s ‘Policing Vision 2025’. Our approach is to do this through a mix of greater national alignment, engagement in non-geographical policing collaborations, regional policing collaborations, local partnerships and other initiatives with statutory and non-statutory partners within the County (especially in the field of community safety).

Operational policing: national, regional and sub-regional police partners

We are committed to building operational collaboration with national, regional and sub-regional policing partners to enable us to build greater consistency and interoperability, and which enable us to keep communities safe from national threats that require cross-border police response.

Business Support: mix of police and non-police partners

We are committed to building collaboration in delivery of business support functions, in line with the NPCC and APCC’s vision 2025. This will involve a mix of policing and non-policing partners to best preserve and support frontline services.

Local community safety and victim care: local statutory and community partners

We also work with a range of valued local partners to deliver community safety across Gloucestershire. We continue to drive this through active partnerships, collaborations, engagement and commissioning of local services.

Recently, the PCC’s and Chief Constable’s from the five South West forces joined together to create an operation aimed at making the South West a hostile environment for drugs.

Background

In October 2021 Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables from five forces committed to regional activity to make the South West region a hostile environment for drug supply.

They wanted to harness the collective power of South West Policing, to better co-ordinate disruptive activity and improve community confidence to encourage reporting of intelligence and protect vulnerable people exploited by drugs gangs.

Co-ordinated activity would take place every four months across all force areas at a regional and local level, with each iteration targeting a different drugs supply issue.

Multiple partners, including CrimeStoppers, British Transport Police, the Regional Organised Crime Unit and Ministry of Defence Police joined operations.

Forces combined intelligence from communities, numberplate recognition technology and stop and search tactics.

Phase one – March 2022

Focused on county lines dealing, this resulted in 109 arrests. Four children and 34 adults were safeguarded, police seized:

• £90,000 in cash
• 33kg of drugs
• Two firearms

Phase two – July 2022

Focussed on community-related drugs issued like antisocial behaviour, resulted in 127 arrests and 237 adults and young people being safeguarded, police seized:

• 613 cannabis plants
• 10,401 ecstasy doses
• £180,000 in cash

Phase three – December 2022

Focussed on the evening and night-time economy. It led to 70 arrests. 12 children and 10 adults were safeguarded.
Police seized:

• 5kg of drugs
• One firearm
• £51,000 in cash

Phase four – April 2023

Focussed on drugs-related violence. 162 arrests were made, 34 adults and children were safeguarded and police seized:

• 11kgs of drugs
• 15 firearms
• £514,065 in cash

Phase five – July 2023

This round focussed organised crime groups (OCGs) involved in cannabis cultivation. Across the region there were 58 raids on commercial cannabis growing operations. It led to 67 arrests. Police seized:

• Cannabis worth £6.5 million
• A 9mm handgun

Phase six – April 2023

Focussed on drugs-related violence. 162 arrests were made, 34 adults and children were safeguarded and police seized:

• 11kgs of drugs
• 15 firearms
• £514,065 in cash

Phase seven – October 2023

Timed to coincide with the national County Lines Intensification Week. This round led to 94 arrests and 62 people were safeguarded. Police seized:

• Drugs worth £245,699
• Three Rolex watches
• Four cars
• Five laptops
• 22 mobiles

Next steps

Since its inception Operation Vanquish has led to 629 arrests. Drugs and weapons worth many millions of pounds have been seized and destroyed.

Operation Vanquish Seven will take place in Spring 2024 and be led by Dorset Police.