TWO men have been arrested in a drugs raid in Barrow as part of a police operation to stamp out criminality in a "vulnerable" neighbourhood.

A team of officers broke down the door of a property in Broad Close, Ormsgill, with an enforcer at approximately 11:30am yesterday where sniffer dogs found a substance believed to be heroin.

The two men, aged 40 and 44, were both arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug with the latter also arrested for abstracting electricity.

The operation also saw a 21-year-old man arrested in Low White Close on suspicion of burglary.

Police constables, who were encouraged to stop suspicious cars in the area as part of the initiative, also seized a vehicle that was being driven by an uninsured driver and searched him under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

All of yesterday's arrests were made as part of a wider proactive community operation launched in January earlier this year after Ormsgill was listed as a residential neighbourhood which requires attention under the Vulnerability Localities Index.

The VLI collects data such as the number of burglaries, criminal damage to properties and the level of unemployment to outline neighbourhoods where new community strategies should be piloted by the police.

Inspector Matt Pearman said: "The public of Ormsgill have told us quite clearly that drug use and anti-social behaviour associated with drug use is something causing them concern.

"Cumbria police will absolutely not tolerate the sale of drugs on Ormsgill and we will act as quickly and effectively as we can to deal with individuals who choose to carry out these activities."

Over the past 10 months, officers have been listening to the concerns of the community in an attempt to reassure them that they are looking into criminal activities in Ormsgill.

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The Barrow ward was recognised along with Mirehouse in Copeland as a neighbourhood that requires prioritised attention for community safety, prompting Cumbria police to tackle the issue through a multi-agency approach.

Inspector Matt Pearman added: "The project we have got is a multi-agency one. It's not just about the police, it's about working with Barrow Borough Council, Barrow AFC and other local organisations to create opportunities for young people.

"Residents are committed to making Ormsgill the best place to live and we know there is a lot of people there who give their time volunteering and talking to us to help us stamp out the smaller minority who are committing crime on the estate."

Sergeant James Bailey, who led yesterday's enforcement, said: "We want people to feel reassured that we are targeting people and that we are acting on any information received by members of the public.

"We are not going to tolerate any criminality in Ormsgill but we can only act on information given to us. If an offence takes place in Ormsgill we want to know about it."

Revolutionary technologies also played their part in the operation as a drone was deployed to hunt out possible drug dealers in a problematic area of Ormsgill.

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Police constables Dick Harding and Damian Lavictoire, who are part of the civil contingency department in Penrith, flew the £2,000 piece of apparatus over Hawcoat Quarry in an attempt to seek out drug dealers from the sky.

PC Harding said: "It really helps with these kind of opportunities and anything that gives them an added advantage to the operation is welcomed.

"It's a massive learning curve for us and we are learning about the capabilities of the drones all the time."