A CONCERTED day of action by police in North Yorkshire has so far led to a total of 43 arrests.

All available resources were thrown into the county-wide crackdown, from chief officers to Special Constables and PCSOs to police staff.

By mid-afternoon today (Wednesday, December 4), 43 people had been arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences from suspected drug dealing to theft, burglary and non-payment of fines.

The day-long operation was part of Operation Hawk, a blitz against travelling criminals which has been running since the summer.

But officers on the streets have also been targeting their area’s most wanted suspects as well as hosting crime prevention surgeries.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy called the operation a “huge success” even though more results are still expected.

“Our aim was to disrupt criminals, arrest suspects who are making our residents’ lives a misery and keep our communities safe,” he said.

“We’re sending a clear message to criminals that we won’t tolerate their activities, and a message to our communities that we will do everything possible to keep them safe and keep our area one of the safest in the country.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to us making more arrests as well as deterring criminality across the county during our evening and night-time operations.”

The clampdown included four arrests made in Northallerton, including two people, aged 22 and 17, from Darlington, on suspicion of burglary.