Operation Relentless: 88 people arrested so far today

Eighty-eight people have been arrested by Avon and Somerset Police so far today in a massive crackdown on crime in the area.

This is Bristol joined police in Bristol from 7am this morning for the biggest ever launch of Operation Relentless - a day of action against criminals wanted for offences ranging from burglary to violent crime.

After a briefing at Police Headquarters police vans were dispatched to Arundel Close in Harcliffe, where officers had warrants for three separate addresses suspected of dealing or producing cannabis.

Two of the properties had been pinpointed by the police helicopter's thermal imaging camera, which used to reveal heat emitted by the super-strong lights needed to cultivate cannabis plants.

Police gained entry to the three properties simultaneously – breaking down the door of one of them – and discovered two cannabis factories with more than 30 plants, plus two ounces of cannabis resin, cocaine and �1,300 in cash.

At a property on Ravenglass Crescent, Southmead, officers had spent the morning bagging up stolen goods – including 20 sat navs and a number of laptops and PlayStation 3 consoles.

The search was assisted by Diesel - a former rescue dog now trained to detect anything from drugs and money to firearms and ammunition.

So sensitive are Diesel's instincts that he can even sense the difference between pounds sterling and euros.

"Providing it smells of something you can train a dog to find it," explained PC Adam Paton, a police dog handler for seven years.

"Diesel was too boisterous to be a pet - he needed something to keep him occupied. Now he's one of our best detection dogs."

Diesel, a four-year-old black Labrador retriever, lives with PC Paton full-time, who describes him as "part of the family".

"It does mean I take my work home with me at the end of the day," he added, "but I wouldn't have it any other way".

On Cheltenham Road, Stokes Croft, officers were running an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) operation to track anything from stolen vehicles and cars linked to drugs to disqualified drivers and drivers without insurance.

"It's like having an extra set of eyes in the car," PC Emma Arthurs explained.

"Our technology reads every number plate it sees and files it into the Police National Database. If we have intelligence on it the system reports back in a matter of seconds."

Within a short amount of time two drivers are stopped – one suspected of driving while disqualified and one suspected of driving without insurance.

Elsewhere officers were busy visiting anti-social behaviour hot spots as well as undertaking crime reduction work with elderly and vulnerable people.

Incidents from Operation Relentless are being livestreamed on the Avon and Somerset Police website throughout the day to give an insight into what goes on to keep people living in Bristol safe. You can also follow Operation Relentless on Twitter using the hashtag #oprelentless. Click here to see a gallery of photos from the Operation relentless police raids in Bristol

Operation Relentless: 88 people arrested so far today

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