Officers have made 77 arrests and seized cash, drugs and thousands of pounds of suspected stolen property in the first week of a policing operation to disrupt criminal activity in Staffordshire.

Operation Disrupt began last Monday (September 21st) in the Staffordshire Moorlands and has since also focused on other areas including Stafford, Burton, Cannock and Newcastle.

Incidents have included the seizure of £19,000 in cash and £1,000 worth of cocaine in Stafford, where two arrests were made on September 22nd, five arrested for suspected affray in Stoke on September 27th, and £3,500 and cannabis seized in Tean.

Officers also worked closely with British Transport Police colleagues as part of the operation on the Chase and Trent Valley rail lines.

During the first week officers made 77 arrests, completed 60 stop and searches, and dealt with 69 driving offences and 32 drugs offences.

Fourteen warrants were executed and nine suspects dealt with for suspected theft from motor vehicles and nine for carrying offensive weapons.

Superintendent Tom Chisholm, Head of Neighbourhood Policing, said: "Operation Disrupt is already achieving great results and cracking down on offending across the county.

"We have made arrests for a range of offences, including burglary, carrying offensive weapons, possession of drugs, driving while under the influence and a number of individuals wanted by the courts.

"This is merely the first week and we will continue to target offending across the county using a range of tactics, supported by our specialist teams such as dogs and road policing."

In recent weeks the force has also run Operation Lightning – tackling offending on the county's road network – which resulted in 191 arrests and 249 vehicles seized.

Twenty eight arrests were made and eight people safeguarded in a county lines operation earlier this month tackling drug lines into Staffordshire.