Knife, drugs and mobile phone seized in train station stop and searches

A man has been charged and two people arrested after we joined forces with the British Transport Police (BTP) County Lines Taskforce for a day of action at Burton and Stafford railway stations.

On Monday (27 January), officers from our county proactive and rural crime team, major and organised crime proactive teams and local policing teams took part in safeguarding patrols.

Officers carried out a number of stop and searches, with cannabis, cash, a mobile phone and a knife seized.

Police dog (PD) Ash and his handler PC Glynn Lloyd, from BTP, also took part. Ash indicated by sitting next to people when he detected drugs.

A 20-year-old man, from the Nottingham area, was arrested at Burton on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug. He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Later, at Stafford railway station, officers found cannabis and a knife following several stop and searches.

A 17-year-old girl, from the Walsall area, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class B. She has been released on conditional bail while our enquiries continue.

A man was also charged with possession of a knife blade / sharp pointed article in a public place. He has been bailed to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 12 February.

Sergeant Steven Anckaert, from our county proactive and rural crime team, said: “This operation demonstrates our ongoing efforts to proactively stop and search members of the public if we suspect criminality.

“We had some great results, with drugs and a knife taken off our streets.”

Sergeant Gary Warren, from the BTP County Lines Task Force, said “This was another great proactive deployment, with some meaningful results.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners in Staffordshire Police to tackle the issues around County Lines, safeguarding children and adults and seeking to arrest those that exploit the vulnerable within our communities.”