POLICE officers visited Salisbury drug users at risk of being exploited by London criminal gangs on Thursday.

The action was part of Operation Harness, which also included drugs raids in Swindon.

In Salisbury, teams visited vulnerable users whose homes were likely to be used by dealers from the capital.

Officers explained what support was available to these people, and warned them of the consequences of harbouring drug dealers.

Detective Inspector Paul Fisher said: "This day of action was designed to target travelling drugs gangs in Swindon and Salisbury as well as to reassure the members of the local communities who are affected by these crimes.

"Much of our intelligence comes from within the community and I urge the public to contact the police centrally or their local officers if they have any concerns about drug activity in their neighbourhood. Tenants can also share such concerns with their local authority landlord or their housing association."

Wiltshire Police have adopted a new approach to tackling drug dealing within the county which includes "identifying and proactively safeguarding" vulnerable drug users whose premises are likely to be used by dealers, arresting, charging and convicting gang members, disrupting gang activities and working with local authority community safety partnerships and registered social landlords to deter gangs using the homes of vulnerable people.

Officers also visited victims of high-value online crime to gather intelligence and offer online security advice as part of Operation Harness.

Detective Constable Angela Spray, in charge of cyber-crime prevention for Wiltshire Police, said: "It is vital that everybody does as much as they can to protect themselves from becoming a victim of cyber crime.

"Yesterday's day of action was vital for us to visit those people who have fallen victim to this type of crime, and offer security advice to prevent it from happening again. There are several simple steps to making sure you are safe online, you can visit www.cyberstreetwise.com for general computer safety tips."