A CALDICOT man has been arrested for having a cannabis cultivation in his home.

The 24-year-old man was stopped in his car by police and arrested for being a disqualified driver. A later search of his home address revealed the cannabis cultivation.

The arrest of the man was part of Operation Shield which was carried out by officers across Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire and Dyfed Powys last Thursday (18th December).

The aim of the operation was to target travelling criminals using Monmouthshire routes following a number of burglaries in the Monmouthshire and Newport area and along the A48 corridor.

The 24 hour operation involved officers stopping vehicles and speaking to drivers. Officers using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology also checked vehicle details and number plates.

In the Gwent area 465 vehicles were stopped.  150 of these were specifically in the Osbaston area of Monmouth to offer reassurance to residents in response to recent burglaries.

Gloucestershire Police stopped 325 vehicles in their area bordering Gwent, passing on information and reassuring residents as well as encouraging them to contact the police if they see anything suspicious. Colleagues from Dyfed Powys police stopped 200 vehicles and offered the same information.

From the vehicle stops in Gwent, four vehicles were seized, Gloucestershire seized six and four were seized in the Dyfed Powys area. The vehicles were seized because the drivers did not have insurance. In Gwent, four fixed penalty notices and three summons to court were also issued for a variety of traffic offences.

The majority of those stopped were very positive and reassured that the police are working together and taking action to target those who use the roads to commit crimes. Many also agreed to sign up to the OWL neighbourhood watch scheme.

Sergeant Tony Patey from Gwent Police said: "Our aim during this operation was to check all of the main arterial routes around Monmouthshire to check anyone entering and leaving the county. All drivers stopped have been given a leaflet to explain about our work to tackle travelling criminals, but we appreciate that many local residents would have been spoken to and we would like to thank them for their co-operation and support.

"We're pleased with the results of the operation and our work will carry on in the coming days and weeks. We continue to encourage local residents to report any suspicious activity and vehicles in their communities and to sign up to our Online Watch Link, which is a good way of finding out crime prevention advice and also about crime trends in the area."