Police raids sees arrests for male victim paying money to man for service not provided, child rape and violence entering a premises

Notable captures included an arrest over a child rape, a man accused of using violence to enter a premises, and a man arrested for fraud and threats to kill after a male victim paid money for a service not provided.

As reported, officers, who were joined by The News, arrested a dozen suspects after using battering rams to storm premises in Gunwharf Quays, Paulsgrove, Buckland, Fratton and Chichester.

As a result of the raids, suspected Class A drugs, drug paraphernalia, weapons, suspected stolen property and cash were seized following the dedicated day of enforcement action by detectives supported by the city’s neighbourhood policing teams.

Following the clampdown, the force has now revealed that a 40-year-old woman from Fratton has been interviewed under caution regarding handling stolen goods. A number of designer sunglasses, designer shoes, alcohol and meat items are among suspected stolen goods seized by officers. An investigation continues.

In Spenlow Close a 19-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and has been released on police bail while enquiries continue. Bail date is July 4.

In Buckingham Green a 46-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. This forms part of an investigation into the suspected theft of money from a woman in her 90s. She has been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue. Bail date is July 4.

Arrests from the day of action also included an 18-year-old man from Havant detained on suspicion of rape, engaging in sexual communication with a child and possessing indecent photographs of a child. This arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the rape of a 13-year-old girl from Portsmouth by a man known to her. The man has been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue. The bail date is July 4.

Two people were arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation in relation to a vehicle reported stolen on January 6 from outside of an address in Sandringham Road in Portsmouth. Suspected stolen number plates were located inside the vehicle.

It led to a spate of arrests including a 27-year-old man from Winchester on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft from a motor vehicle. A 23-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft from a motor vehicle. Both have been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue. Bail date is July 4.

Three other people have previously been arrested in connection with this incident. They are a 23-year-old man from Waterlooville, a 23-year-old man from Portsmouth and a 17-year-old boy from Portsmouth. All released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue.

For other raids, a 36-year-old man from Fareham was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and fraud by false representation. This relates to an incident reported to police on February 28. The victim, a man in his 50s, reported that he had paid a large quantity of money to a second man for a service which was not provided. When challenged, the suspect became abusive towards the victim. The 36-year-old has been released on conditional police bail while the investigation continues. Bail date is July 4.

A 31-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill, harassment and sending letters/communications/articles conveying indecent/offensive messages. This follows a report on March 7 from a woman in her 20s that a man known to her had been sending her abusive messages. He has been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue. Bail date is July 4.

A 41-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage, sending letters/communications/articles conveying indecent/offensive messages and using violence to secure entry to premises. He has been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue. This comes following a report on April 2 by a woman in her 30s that a man she knew had broken into her home, made threats to her and was verbally abusive towards her. It was also reported that he had sent her numerous messages and phone calls earlier that day. Bail date July 4.

A 19-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of assault following a domestic incident on March 16 in which a man in his 60s was assaulted at an address on Bath Road. He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Detective chief inspector Ross Toms, who led the operation, said: ‘Under the new chief constable’s direction to be ruthless in pursuing criminals we’ve pulled together some of our student officers and targeted those people we feel are visibly active committing crime in the community. The new officers enjoyed being proactive and getting out from the police station and being visible within the community.

‘We double crewed them up with experienced officers so they got a lot of it and it becomes a culture moving forward with younger CID officers to execute warrants and speak to sources and visibly be in the community at crime scenes.’

Asked whether they faced any hostility when carrying out the raids, the detective said: ‘There are always obstacles we encounter with people woken up by loud bangs but all the officers were thoroughly professional and all the suspects brought into custody without any problems.’

He added: ‘We want residents to be assured that we are listening, and this is just the beginning of our intensified efforts to ensure that Portsmouth is a hostile city for criminals to operate in. We are pleased with the results we’ve seen but this is just the start. It’s important to add that preventative work is done alongside partners continually throughout the year.’

Portsmouth superintendent Paul Markham said: ‘We hope this sends out a clear message to those living in Portsmouth or coming into the city with the intent to commit crime and cause harm – it will not be tolerated. We will keep up the pressure on those known locally to us and will not stop disrupting this criminality.’

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