Exclusive by Alan Quick

ACTING on information supplied by the local communities, officers from Crediton Neighbourhood Policing Team, assisted by Mid Devon and scenes of crime officers, attended an address in the area of Mill Street, Crediton, at about 8.30am on Wednesday, December 16.

On entering the premises the officers found two separate cannabis cultivations in progress and a large amount of cannabis “bush” already prepared.

The occupants of the house were both arrested for drug related offences.

The suspects have now been interviewed about the incident and been bailed, while some of the items seized are forensically examined.

Police Sgt Dave MacFadden, the Neighbourhood Team Leader for Crediton and Cullompton, said: “I would like to publicly thank our local communities for supplying us with the information that has lead us to uncover this cannabis cultivation.

“This is a great result for all involved.

“Growing cannabis is illegal regardless of what people think about it. It is against the law and we are here to uphold it.

“We police by consent and we will try to act on any relevant information that is passed to us as quickly as possible.

“We had to act fast on this information to stop any potential evidence being lost.

“I had to pull in officers from other stations to make it happen, which was worthwhile.

“I have said it in the past but it’s worth saying again, we all need to work together as one big community to detect and deter people from committing such crime and this is a prime example of what we can achieve by doing so.

“Crediton is a safe place to live and work but it’s not immune to this type of crime and offence being committed every now and then.

“We will take action against those found committing crime in our community.

“For those people who grow or cultivate cannabis I have the following message. Don’t do it! You will be found out and my team and I will pay you a personal visit probably when you least expect it.

“The strong and pungent smell will always give you away, however hard you try to get rid of it.

“The smell can be a massive problem to others and lead to constant headaches and generally feeling unwell.

“If you suspect that someone in your neighbourhood is cultivating cannabis then please make contact with us by email at: [email protected] or [email protected] or telephone Crimestoppers, which is anonymous.