Police officers have made several arrests within Congleton as they continue to focus on drug dealing and carrying out patrols during the night-time economy.

Cheshire Police inspector Kelly Johnston attended last Thursday's Congleton Town Council meeting of Community and Environment Committee to give councillors a verbal report on policing matters affecting Congleton.

Cheshire Police run an operation called 'Person Priority', which is where officers decide who in the community is causing the most harm. The latest project called 'Op Little' has focused on drug dealing.

In the first six weeks of the latest project there have been two arrests from organised crime groups in the Congleton West Beat area and they are now awaiting trial.

There has also been an arrest for possession with the intent to supply in the Congleton West Beat and there have been two house evictions due to drug use in the town centre to the west.

Officers have also increased their patrols during the night-time economy (10pm to 2am before curfews were implemented), due to their being an uplift when pubs reopened.

This has led to eight arrests and two dispersal orders, which is when the police decide that someone looks like they are going to cause trouble i.e. under the influence or might have been verbally abusive, but the police feel it is not enough to take them into custody, but officers give the resident a chance by issuing a legal order to go home.

Insp Johnston told the committee that over the last two months there was 54 reports of domestic violence incidents in Congleton and there were also 10 sexual offences reported.