Two people arrested after police find machete and 26 bags of suspected cannabis during raid in Cottam

A man and woman have been arrested after police found 26 bags of suspected cannabis, a machete and a baseball bat during a raid in Cottam.
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Police conducted a raid at an address in Cottam this morning (February 10).

Officers found 26 bags of suspected cannabis, a machete and a baseball bat at the property.

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One man, 22, and one woman, 22, have been arrested for possession with intent to supply class B drugs.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Thanks to community intelligence, Preston Task Force along with the Neighbourhood Team have seized 26 bags of suspected cannabis, a machete and a baseball bat from a property in Cottam.

"A 22-year-old male and a 22-year-old female have been arrested for possession with intent to supply class B drugs."

The raid comes soon after Lancashire Police launched a new dedicated neighbourhood task force in Preston.

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The group is made up of a proactive team of five officers, who will work alongside the existing neighbourhood teams, with specific responsibility for tackling local priorities including drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and burglary.

They will also focus on disrupting organised crime group activity and targeting outstanding offenders.

Supt Karen Edwards, who oversees policing in Preston, said: "We hope this team will provide reassurance to our local communities and businesses in the city that we are determined to tackle the issues which matter most and have the greatest impact on them.

"These officers will focus on reducing and preventing crime, helping to keep people who live in and visit the city feeling safe.

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"They are all local officers with an abundance of experience and knowledge around policing Preston. I particularly want them to find long-term solutions to anti-social behaviour, organised crime and drug dealing."

In addition, the force is set to get an extra 153 officers – although it will still be around 600 officers down on 2010 as a result of Government funding cuts.

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "The task forces are dedicated to tackling issues that matter most to people, after we were able to invest in officers for the first time since 2010, thanks to support from the public.

"This is about reconnecting with our communities across Lancashire and dealing with community concerns.

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"After a decade of shrinking budgets from Government I want this to be the start of investment back into policing here in Lancashire."

There are similar teams of four or five officers spread across nine areas in the county.

The Chorley and South Ribble team launched last September, followed by the West Lancashire team in November.

To read more about the new Preston task force, click HERE.