More proactive activity in Caithness as part of Operation Ruling
Police in Caithness have continued their proactive policing operation to target crime and improve public confidence in policing.
Operation Ruling was launched on Friday 4 December, 2020, after significant public engagement had been undertaken to identify key priorities for the area.
This was followed up by intelligence-gathering into drug crime in the region and resulted in several drugs warrants being executed and various quantities of substances seized throughout the weekend.
Drug enforcement activity continued this week and on Monday 7 December, stop and search activity was carried out in Murchiston Street, Wick, where cannabis was recovered.
Another personal search of an individual in Stainland Drive, Thurso, took place on Wednesday 9 December, where, again, cannabis was seized.
These recoveries resulted in a 24-year-old man aged being arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and a further man, aged 40, being issued with a Recorded Police Warning.
Another Recorded Police Warning was issued in related to drugs offences identified at a property in Henrietta Street, Wick on Tuesday 8 December.
Road safety was another of the identified priorities to target during Operation Ruling and following last weekend’s road checks, further stops were carried out throughout the Caithness region between Monday 7 and Thursday 10 December.
This resulted in two drivers being reported to the Procurator Fiscal for tacograph offences, while another was charged for speeding. Two further motorists and one cyclist were issued with ASBO warnings relating to their behaviour while on the roads.
During the vehicle checks, cannabis was recovered within two cars and both drivers have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for drug driving offences.
Operation Ruling also looks to target violence and after some arrests for serious assaults over the weekend a 21-year-old man was arrested in the Springpark area of Thurso on Tuesday 8 December in connection with a breach of curfew. During this arrest, Taser was drawn but not utilised and no one was injured.
Throughout all of this activity, the police pod has been moving throughout Caithness to engage with the public, gather more intelligence relating to ongoing crime and offer a range of crime prevention advice to members of the community.
Enforcement and engagement activity will continue and anyone wishing to speak with the local policing team on any policing matter can contact 101, or email directly to CaithnessCPT@scotland.pnn.police.uk.
Chief Inspector Jamie Wilson, Local Area Commander for Caithness, said: “When we launched Operation Ruling last week, we wanted to make it clear to the local communities that their safety, wellbeing and viewpoints matter greatly to us and we hope our activity so far has demonstrated this.
“My officers and I are immensely grateful to the public for their engagement and support of this operation so far. The information you’ve provided us with has helped with the recovery of various quantities and values of drugs and resulted in numerous arrests and reports for a range of offences.
“We remain committed to tackling all forms of crime affecting the Caithness area and building a relationship of trust and co-operation with these communities.
“So far during Operation Ruling, we’ve deployed resources from across Highlands and Islands Division, which should once again signal our intent to use all assets at our disposal to keep the Caithness public safe and improve their overall quality of life.”
