THREE men have been arrested for supplying drugs after a raid at supported living accommodation this morning.

Police were called to John Baker House, in Rollestone Street, at about 9am this morning.

They had received a call from a member of staff at the house concerning suspicious activity on the premises.  One witness said she saw police officers entering the building with a crowbar and "a battering ram" earlier this morning.

Three men, who are not residents at the house, aged 20, 21 and 22 were arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drugs and taken into custody. They have been released under investigation. 

The arrests follow continued work by local officers in conjunction with partner agencies as part of Operation Karine, which launched in July to target class A drug supply in the Salisbury area and provide support to victims of cuckooing.

Cuckooing refers to criminal gangs who target vulnerable people living in housing association and council accommodation by befriending them and taking over their homes to deal drugs. 

PC Tracey Holloway said: “Operation Karine launched on the back of the two days of activity we held in Salisbury back in July where 25 people were arrested for class A drug supply following a series of raids across the city.

"It is important that the public know this work is continuing and yesterday we had three arrests on the back of information and intelligence we had received in relation to the address at John Baker House. 

“As well as this, on a separate matter, we have been working closely with Wiltshire Council which enabled us to apply for closure orders at Salisbury Magistrates Court last week on three properties in the city where we understood drug dealing was taking place.

"All three applications were successful and as a result, all three properties have been closed to any visitors to the addresses for a period of three months. Anyone found to be at these premises could be arrested for breaching the closure order. 

“We are committed to tackling drug supply and will do all that we can to seek out and locate those responsible and protect the most vulnerable people in our communities. 

“Members of these gangs can be very persuasive and will often threaten vulnerable people with violence if they threaten to tell police that their homes are being used to sell drugs.” 

Since the launch of Operation Karine, local officers from the Community Policing Team have been carrying out high visibility patrols in the area, alongside representatives from Turning Point’s substance misuse service in Wiltshire, as well as Wiltshire Council. 

Tracy Daszkiewicz, Wiltshire Council director of public health (interim), said: “People with a dependency on drugs are extremely vulnerable. We’re working hard with our substance misuse partners to intervene as early as possible and make sure they get support quickly, and to help prevent them from falling further into desperate situations. 

“We want people that find themselves in this situation to be assured that there is support out there for them. We’d also ask people to look out for any vulnerable neighbours who might be susceptible to this type of crime and to report anything suspicious – if we all work together we can help stop this happening in our communities.” 

If you suspect drug activity in your area, call police on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously if preferred.