'Largest' raids in force history

Police raid 15 properties in Nuneaton and Bedworth

More than 200 officers have been involved in early morning raids in Warwickshire.

The Warwickshire Police Operation Laser cost £55,000 and involved about a fifth of the entire force on Tuesday.

Police raided 15 properties in Nuneaton and Bedworth and arrested 13 men and four women aged between 21 and 59 in connection with organised crime.

The force said it was the "largest" operation it had run to tackle organised crime in the area.

Another man, aged 28, later went to a police station in Aston, Birmingham, and handed himself in.

ANALYSIS: Peter Wilson, West Midlands' Home Affairs Correspondent Warwickshire is the smallest force in the country and faces more of a test than any other in showing that it can deal with serious organised crime. Three years ago the then Chief Constable John Burbeck lamented the government's decision not to create a single strategic regional police force in the Midlands capable of dealing with terrorism and organised crime. He said: "The gaps in Warwickshire's policing services identified by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, relating to serious and organised crime, terrorism and the ability to deal with major incidents, still exist." The force has shown it can confront serious organised crime gangs as with the successful prosecution of the M40 murder case involving a motorcycle gang. Tuesday's raids can also be seen as Warwickshire flexing its muscles to show it remains a viable, successful force.

Police said he will be transferred to Warwickshire Police and questioned in connection with conspiracy to supply drugs.

All the arrests, a spokesman said, were made in connection with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Warwickshire Police said the raids had taken 11 months to plan and were organised around the "simultaneous arrests" of 21 people.

Neighbours living near one of the addresses which was targeted told BBC News their lives had been made a "living hell" by the activities of its occupants and they were glad police had finally taken some action.

The raids cost £50,000 to stage.

After the raids, police and volunteers delivered leaflets explaining their aims to residents and distributed posters to community centres and businesses.

Large trailers delivering the police's message are to be driven across the two towns and shoppers may receive blue tooth messages about it to their mobile phones.