Proactive police teams attack on drugs, guns and robberies last year hits serious crime hard.

Almost 300 doors were smashed down and a dozen guns recovered as Hackney Police dealt a hammer blow to serious crime last year.

Proactive policing in the borough saw 275 properties raided for drugs and guns, �250,000 of criminal cash seized, 12 firearms recovered and four cannabis factories closed down for the 2010/11 financial year.

Three and a half kilos and 400 ‘wraps’ of crack cocaine were taken off the streets along with almost six and a half kilos of ketamine, five kilos of herbal cannabis, 24 kilos of cannabis resin and one kilo and 200 rocks of heroin.

The teams also investigated 34 firearm offences, resulting in 11 charges, secured 45 drug dealing charges, and arrested 25 people for offences such as robbery and GBH.

Det Insp Rhys Willis, Hackney Police, said: “Hackney’s pro-active units work tirelessly to remove drugs and firearms from the streets of Hackney and keep the public safe.

“Experience shows us that drug dealing fuels other local forms of crime, so removing drugs and firearms and seizing the assets of the individuals who profit from them is a great result for the borough.”

The totals are only from operations undertaken by officers from Operation Bantam, Drugs Squad, Payback Unit and Digital Evidence Unit, with the borough-wide figures due soon.

Operation Bantam investigates firearms offences in Hackney, while the Drugs Squad works with them looking at the supply of drugs.

The Payback Unit investigates the ill-gotten gains of criminals and works to seize the cash while the Digital Evidence Unit uses CCTV to fight serious crime.