A SPECIALIST police drugs team in Kirklees has arrested 180 people and seized drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last five months.

Kirklees District Drugs Team was set up in June this year and often works off information given by people through the Dob In A Dealer scheme.

People ring the hotline number 0800 555 111 with the names of drug dealers and other information about them.

The police investigate the dealers and make arrests.

Since June, officers have arrested 180 people - and 80 of them have been charged with drugs trafficking offences.

Illegal drugs with a street value of £100,000 were found and cash and assets worth around £500,000 have been seized.

One recent confiscation alone was for £400,000 from a Huddersfield man convicted of trafficking in illicit substances.

Det Insp John Gilbody, who is in charge of the team, said: "Last year our arrest rate from information given by the public was approximately 5%. Since the start of this dedicated team, the rate is now running at 50% which is fantastic.

"We are now also beginning to see the fruits of our labours as offenders start filtering through the court system.

"Early this month a 52- year-old man from Dewsbury was convicted of possession with intent to supply and was subsequently sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

"This is a positive message to those who decide to make a living by dealing in drugs on the streets of Kirklees.

"We will use every weapon in our armoury to bring these people to justice.

"We are making massive inroads to the drugs markets across the district. Feedback from the streets is encouraging in that drugs are now more difficult to come by."

One of the main driving forces behind the Kirklees District Drugs Team has been the Dob In A Dealer campaign.

Some of their greatest successes have been as a direct result of information from the local community.

Crimestoppers regional co-ordinator Det Sgt Ian Froggett said: "The response has been amazing. People have shown with their dialing fingers that they want to rid the streets of drug dealers.

"Crimestoppers has received almost 500 calls in the first five months of the campaign, identifying people suspected of dealing drugs in their communities.

"I would like to thank all those who have taken the trouble to call us, but I can't because I don't know who any of them are.

"Sometimes officers cannot act immediately as some dealers are not known to them, so they have to do a lot of background work to properly identify people and deal with them appropriately."

Contact the Dob In A Dealer line at Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.