A Keighley detective is the new head of the district's award-winning police anti-Drugs team.

Detective Inspector Neil Benstead has taken over the reins of Bradford District Drugs Team, the enforcement arm of the Crack Down campaign.

And he has vowed to continue the fight against local drugs dealers.

Det Insp Benstead joined West Yorkshire Police 21 years ago and has worked in all of Bradford's three divisions.

During the mid-90s he served with the force drugs squad, and as a detective sergeant in Bradford North worked closely with the division's drugs team.

He was promoted to detective inspector last September, and latterly has been based at Keighley.

Bradford District Drugs Team was set up last summer to disrupt drug markets across the district and protect communities from the threat of drugs.

During the past 11 months, 288 people have been arrested for drug-related offences.

One-hundred-and-forty-one people have been charged with supplying Class A drugs, and 53 with supplying Class B drugs.

About six kilos of heroin and crack cocaine, 1,000 ecstasy tablets and ten kilos of cannabis have been taken off the streets of Bradford and Keighley.

Det Insp Benstead said: "The team will continue to disrupt the lives of street dealers across the district.

"During the next 12 months we aim to seize more Class A drugs, particularly heroin and crack cocaine.

"These cause the most misery in our communities."

He said efforts would also continue to try to get people into treatment and divert youngsters away from drugs.

"We hope to break the cycle of drug abuse as well as disrupt the lives of the criminal," he said.

"While this is not something we can solve overnight, we are pooling our resources in a big effort to achieve a safer community for everyone.

"There is no place for drug dealers in the Bradford district. They will not be tolerated - we will find out who they are and they will be arrested.

"Much of our success is due to the information we receive from the public via the Dob in a Dealer hotline.

"We know that people will continue to pass on information, however small, so we can all play a part in fighting drug-related crime."

Det Insp Benstead replaces Det Insp Sheridan Moore, who saw the team singled out for Home Office praise when the Crack Down initiative won an award for best practice in disrupting street level drug markets.