Twenty-two people have been arrested during a major 24-hour operation mounted by North Yorkshire Police across the Harrogate.

Operation Tornado, which took place yesterday, saw the seizure of weapons and drugs, the recovery of stolen goods, and the apprehension of suspects in connection with theft and immaigration offences.

The operation focused on everyday crime by co-ordinating a high number of police resources in a specific area of North Yorkshire for maximum impact.

High-visibility town-centre patrols and drop-in sessions where the public can talk to officers took place in Harrogate, where teams have also been delivering crime prevention work with shops.

North Yorkshire Police (NYP) has also undertaken extensive residential and rural patrols across the wider district, including Ripon, rural areas and surrounding villages.

Results from yesterday’s operation in the Harrogate area include:

• Nine people arrested for drug offences after three warrants were executed at addresses across Harrogate and further addresses were visited. They were taken into custody on suspicion of offences including possession with intent to supply drugs and conspiring to supply class A and B drugs. Drugs were seized during searches of the addresses.

• An assortment of weapons, including air pistols and knives, were seized along with drugs at a property in Harrogate, with two arrested on suspicion of weapons and drug offences.

• Three people were arrested over immigration offences during visits to businesses in Harrogate town centre by NYP's exploitation team.

• A stolen motorbike was recovered in Ripon, where the force has been focusing resources to tackle illegal motorbike and e-bike use following feedback from residents.

• Five wanted people were located and arrested by teams patrolling key areas by car.
• A man was arrested on suspicion of retail theft and suspected stolen items were recovered from an address as part of the force's push on retail crime, which also included visits to town-centre businesses by retail crime prevention teams.

• Officers from across the ranks, including the Deputy Chief Constable, took to the beat in Harrogate town centre to speak to residents and visitors, with dozens of people stopping off at a drop-in session on Oxford Street for a chat.

• In more remote areas, NYP's Rural Task Force has been on patrol and carrying out crime prevention visits to farms and other rural businesses.
• Further afield, four men were arrested in Northallerton by teams after NYP received reports of a commercial burglary in progress at an industrial site.
• The force's off-road motorbike team has been patrolling large parts of the district, on the lookout for illegal motorcycle use, stolen vehicles and unlawful riding.
• And roads policing teams have been keeping motorists safe during their patrols, while dealing with motoring offences and vehicle crime.

Superintendent Teresa Lam (pictured below), Commander for Harrogate district, said: 

During yesterday’s deployments, the force worked closely with British Transport Police, North Yorkshire Council and other organisations to make the arrests and share crime-prevention advice.

It involved police officers of all ranks and roles including the Chief Constable, PCSOs, Special Constables, Police Cadets and police staff.

Operation Tornado moves around North Yorkshire, with large-scale deployments in different districts on different dates.

It was launched in April 2024 by Chief Constable Tim Forber (pictured below) to proactively target criminals, disrupt crime and respond to issues raised by communities across the county.