Lancashire Constabulary Chief Constable Chris Rowley, together with ACC Jo Edwards from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit officially opened the new satellite office at Lancaster.

The new base on the Lancashire/ Cumbria border will provide a home for one of the new serious and organised crime task forces which have been created as part of the national police uplift programme in our fight against serious organised crime and sees the NWROCU estate continuing its geographical footprint within its collaborative forces across the North West.

ACC Jo Edwards from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said:

“The opening of our Lancaster Police station is a significant development in our plans to expand our estate across the North West. The NWROCU is a collaboration of police officers and staff from all six North West Police Forces, and we want to make sure we have got a footprint right across the North West region.

“Being accessible to the police forces and communities we serve is the heart of policing and a major priority for us.”

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said:

“The North West Regional Organised Crime Unit plays a key part in supporting the work of the Constabulary as we take the fight to criminals here in Lancashire, dismantling organised crime gangs and making the county as hostile a place as possible for them to operate.

“This new regional base strengthens our relationships and capacity to tackle high level crime, and further supports the delivery of my Fighting Crime Plan.

“We’ve recently seen arrests for involvement in organised crime up by almost 90% and charges up by over 100%. Statistics like this highlight the intelligence led, round the clock work carried out by officers here in Lancashire, in the wider region and nationally. I, like most people, want to see more doors put through, more assets seized and more criminals behind bars as I lead the fight against crime and back officers to stop offenders in their tracks.”

Lancashire Chief Constable Chris Rowley said: “This Lancaster base provides accommodation for the NWROCU Serious and Organised Task Force. Its location provides a geographic base in the county for officers from the six North West police forces, who work together to tackle serious and organised crime.

“While the majority of people who live and work in Lancashire are honest and law-abiding, there are some individuals who choose to commit crime and cause misery for their own gain. This will not be tolerated and the location of the unit should send a very clear message to those criminals that we will use every specialist resource available to us to put a stop to their activities.”