Police Encourage Public to Report Drug Activity During Operation Scorpion 12

From posters in Buckfast to cadets leafleting in Camborne, police across the region have been cracking down on drug harm and urging residents to speak up.

Targeting Drug Harm Across the Region

Between 23rd and 29th June 2025, Devon & Cornwall Police took part in Operation Scorpion 12 – a coordinated effort with four other south west forces, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, British Transport Police, and partner agencies. The focus was reducing drug-related harm, arresting those involved in crime, seizing drugs, cash and weapons, and speaking with the public about how they can help.

As well as enforcement, officers worked to raise awareness of how to spot the signs of vulnerable people being exploited and how to report concerns.

Raising Awareness in Buckfast

📷Jodie Gould, Community Housing Officer for Teign Housing and Neighbourhood Beat Manager PC Claire Hurrell with new drugs reporting poster.

In Buckfast, Neighbourhood Beat Manager PC Claire Hurrell and her team continued their close work with the local housing authority, distributing posters encouraging the community to report drug nuisance.

Claire said:

“We are encouraging our communities to report information and intelligence about drug activity to us, working in partnership with our partners such as Teign Housing.

“We want people to report anything that’s impacting them such as anti-social behaviour, drug paraphernalia or unusual activity. The public really do hold key information that contributes to the picture that the police build up about what is happening in the community. Relevant and reliable information, even the smallest incident, could be the thing that when added to other intelligence then enables us to carry out a warrant or other intervention on a property.”

The posters included signs to look out for and a QR code linking directly to Devon & Cornwall Police’s online contact forms.

Community Involvement with Teign Housing

Jodie Gould, Community Housing Officer for Teign Housing, echoed Claire’s call for information.

“Teign Housing deals with anti-social behaviour complaints that come from our tenants, or about our tenants. We work in partnership with the police and local authority and require information from the community. The more reports we have, the better we can come up with a solution that may involve Good Neighbour Agreements, Community Protection Warnings, and tenancy breach action.”

Jodie added that even one-off reports help build a better understanding of what’s going on. She also encouraged use of The Noise App, which records unreasonable noise and sends it straight to Teign Housing.

Camborne Focuses on Cuckooing

📷Police Cadets out and about to meet residents in Camborne with posters and window stickers.

In Camborne, Inspector Louisa Brown’s team addressed the issue of cuckooing – where criminals exploit vulnerable people and take over their homes to store or sell drugs.

Louisa said:

“We designed some new leaflets that outline the signs that someone is being cuckooed and how to report it. We also trialled the use of window stickers that give a visual reminder that police regularly patrol certain areas.

“We briefed local Police Cadets about cuckooing, who then distributed the leaflets and spoke to local residents about the issue.”

PCSO Rebecca Di Quirico added:

“The Cadets distributed 500 leaflets in Camborne and feedback from local residents about those and the advisory stickers was good. They were also positive about the engagement with them by the Cadets.”

How to Report Concerns

Residents are encouraged to report anti-social behaviour to Devon & Cornwall Police by calling 101 or using the online ASB reporting form. Click the “Report” button here: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk

To learn more about cuckooing, including signs to look out for and how to report it, visit: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines

The full results of Operation Scorpion 12 are available on the Devon & Cornwall Police website.