Two arrested after police stop vehicle in Hemel Hempstead

Two people have been arrested following a vehicle stop in Hemel Hempstead yesterday morning (Monday).

A 25-year-old woman from Hemel Hempstead was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs.

A 36-year-old man from Harrow was arrested on suspicion of both possession with intent to supply class A drugs and suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug (class B).

They have both been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

The arrests are in connection with an incident on Two Waters Road at 11.50am yesterday, where officers stopped a vehicle because they had reason to believe it was linked to suspected drug crime.

The male driver stopped the vehicle by B&Q before exiting it and running along the Grand Union Canal, where he discarded several packages into the water.

Officers pursued on foot and used a fishing net to retrieve some of the packages, which have since been confirmed to be crack cocaine.

They detained and arrested the suspect further down the towpath before using a police dog to search his vehicle.

Two warrants were executed at separate addresses in London and Hemel Hempstead later the same day, under Section 18 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).

This resulted in further class B drugs being seized by officers.

The arrests came after a piece of intelligence was developed by the Kings Langley and Hemel Hempstead South East Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Sergeant Sarah Bunyan, who leads the team, said: “We were able to make these two arrests after a member of the public shared some information with us, as they believed that drug crime was occurring in their street.

“We spent time developing this intelligence which ultimately led us to conducting the vehicle stop in Two Waters Road yesterday, supported by our intervention colleagues and those from the Operation Scorpion team.

“This proactive stop resulted in the arrest of two people and the seizure of a large amount of drugs which we have now prevented from reaching the streets of Hemel Hempstead.

“This is a prime example of how you – the public – can help us have a hugely positive impact on your community.

"I cannot stress how important it is to share information with us because you are our eyes and ears.

"Therefore if you have any information at all, even if you think it may be insignificant, please let us know. You could be holding the missing piece of our jigsaw that could help us remove criminals from your streets.”

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, or by calling 101.