ILLEGAL immigrants and contraband have been cleared out of Broadgreen after a new police-led operation targeting businesses in the town centre.

The brainchild of the Broadgreen neighbourhood policing team, Operation Salida saw 20 officers in two teams scouring the area on Wednesday and acting on intelligence to detain three suspected illegal immigrants.

Checks on licenced premises revealed offences at 12 bars or shops, with goods seized from two locations for failing to pay tax. Imported tobacco was also snatched from three other premises, while Trading Standards officers forcibly took children’s toys off sale in one store after concerns they could contain harmful carcinogens.

The visits were conducted by several partner agencies including Wiltshire Police, Swindon Council Trading Standards, HMRC and the Home Office Enforcement Team.

PC Luke Atkinson, community beat manager for the Broadgreen area, said Salida would continue now that strong links had been forged between all agencies.

“In times of austerity we can’t do everything on our own and other agencies have powers and responsibilities for different areas, so this was an opportunity to bring everyone together,” he said.

“This is the first time we have had five agencies working together, and it is a chance to get into the mix and bounce ideas off each other. It has been three months in the making, and there were 20 officers on the ground, though only six of those were police officers. It has been a massive success.

“If you go out as a single agency and identify offences but do not have the necessary powers, you have to go through a long process of telephone calls trying to get the other agency involved. When you are all on the ground together it is a lot smoother.”

A Trading Standards officer working on the operation said: “We are all looking for similar things when we visit businesses so it makes sense to bring it all together.

“This approach is very beneficial, and it is invaluable to us to gain the sort of intelligence that has been shared.”

Any concerned parents are asked to check labels on toys and either return them or contact Trading Standards if anything is awry.

  • Anyone with information or concerns about matters raised by this operation can contact the Swindon Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team via 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously.