A SPECIALIST police unit set up to tackle violent crime in Bradford and West Yorkshire made a record number of arrests during the summer, new figures show.

Between July and the end of September, officers from Operation Jemlock made a total of 657 arrests – the most during a summer period since the unit was formed in 2019.

The team carried out patrols in over 200 locations, where – according to the data – there was a 12 per cent reduction in overall crime and a 16 per cent drop in anti-social behaviour.

Arrests made since the unit was established now total over 11,500.

And so far this year, more than 480 weapons – including knives, machetes and knuckle dusters – have been seized. The tally since 2019 exceeds 2,400.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen, force lead for Operation Jemlock, welcomes the figures.

But he pledges there will be no let up in efforts to drive violent criminals from the streets.

He says: "Operation Jemlock officers have continued to work extremely hard over the summer months carrying out thousands of hours of additional foot and mobile patrols in areas identified as hotspots for violence, knife crime and anti-social behaviour.

"Those patrols and our proactive policing work have seen the team make significant numbers of arrests and weapons seizures, helping to reduce crime and incidents.

"We are confident that our data-driven, evidence-based approach is putting officers in the right places at the right times to have the greatest impact, increasing the likelihood of offenders being caught and ensuring that communities feel safe.

"I hope these latest results reassure the public that we listen to our communities and act on information and intelligence that they provide.

"Our enforcement operations and patrols will continue into the autumn and through the winter, utilising new tactics and technologies to target the minority of individuals that cause harm.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners, understanding the need for early intervention and long-term solutions, however we will also continue to focus on putting officers on the streets where our communities want them to be."

Support is provided by West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership, which carries out and funds a range of preventative work.

In the past year, it has engaged with over 25,000 young people aged under 24, and more than 800 people aged 25 and above.

Also, it has trained nearly 400 professionals.