The Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) joined the PCCs of four other police services across the South West to lobby landlords, letting agents and housing companies to join in the fight against cannabis cultivation.

The PCCs from Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset and Gloucestershire, have urged letting agents and housing companies to identify and report suspected cannabis farms, as well as writing to national governing bodies involved with landlords and home lettings to raise awareness - asking for greater collaboration to fight cannabis cultivation in communities.

The effort is part of Operation Scorpion, which aims to intensify action against drugs. The operation has also seen nine warrants carried out, 692 cannabis plants and 18 arrests across Wiltshire.

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A joint letter addressed to landlords and letting agencies included signs for property owners to watch for in the fight against cannabis cultivation, such as tenants asking for complete privacy with no periodic inspections, blacking out windows, frequent visitors day and night and light sources emanating from the property at all hours.

Philip Wilkinson said: “Communities where drugs are cultivated and dealt are simply fed up with the misery this type of crime brings to their doorsteps. Of course, we are all aware of the detrimental effects, misery, and harm that illegal drugs bring, not only to our wider communities but to those vulnerable individuals within society who are often forced, coerced, or exploited into conducting this illegal activity on the behalf of organised criminals. But unless it is happening where you live, day in and day out, you are extremely likely to be unaffected by it.

“Criminals target properties for cultivation and we are calling on all landlords, letting agents and housing companies to be wise to the types of activity that could be happening in their properties.

“This is why we must tackle the issue of cannabis cultivation head-on, and this collaborative approach between myself and the other PCCs reinforces the message that no matter where you live in the South West, there is no place for drugs.”