Staffordshire Police have made more than 130 arrests, seized more than £2,000-worth of drugs and caught more than 1,000 speeding drivers as part of an eight-week community policing operation.

The operation, which launched following the introduction of the local force's new policing model at the end of June this year, saw local policing team officers focus on specific types of criminality highlighted to them though their community engagement events held throughout September and October this year.

More than 1,000 people from across Staffordshire attended these events which included walk-and-talk events, drop-in sessions with commanders, as well as online chats.

As a result of this work, officers say they identified themes within these concerns including anti-social behaviour, drug-related criminality, vehicle crime and speeding.

Since then, the local police force says it has upped its patrols in anti-social behaviour hot-spots; issuing dispersal orders in relevant areas, carried out proactive intelligence-led drug-related warrants and launched a specialist operation to tackle vehicle crime, including theft of and from vehicles.

Part of this activity saw 647 stop-and-searches carried out, more than 30 warrants leading to 40 arrests as well as:

• A total of 135 arrests
• Seizure of drugs worth £2,085
• Seizure of £13,069 in cash
• Seizure of vehicles valued at £59,100
• Identification of 1,056 speeding drivers
• Stopping 38 uninsured drivers
• Drug and drink-drive testing 54 people.
• Disrupting the exploitation of a young person believed to been groomed into county lines drug activity, with two men arrested and more than £2,000 and a vehicle seized.

Chief Superintendent, Elliott Sharrard-Williams, who spearheaded the operation, said: "We are always proactive in our pursuit of offenders and this operation really gave us a chance to show people what we are continuing to do to make their communities safer.

"It also gave us the opportunity to hear more directly from local people out on the ground and this provided really useful intelligence for us to take action on.

"I'm pleased that the operation has led to some really positive results and we will continue to work with our communities to deliver the best outcomes for them."