Landlords urged to join the fight against cannabis farms

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) across the South West have united to lobby landlords and letting agents to identify and report suspected cannabis farms.

The PCCs from Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset and Gloucestershire have also contacted national bodies for landlords and agents in a bid to raise awareness.

They say they want greater collaboration in a bid to stamp out cannabis cultivation in local communities.

This is part of Operation Scorpion, a regional drugs operation that brings together all five Commissioners and their respective police forces along with key partners.

‘Tackling drug crime and serious violence requires collaborative working’

Wiltshire’s PCC Philip Wilkinson said: “As we have seen recently in Swindon and elsewhere in the county, tackling drug crime and serious violence, requires collaborative working with a whole series of local government and non-government stakeholders and partners.

“Criminals target properties for cultivation and we are calling on all landlords, letting agents and housing companies to be wise to the types of activity that could be happening in their properties.

“This is why we must tackle the issue of cannabis cultivation head on, and this collaborative approach between myself and the other PCCs reinforces the message that no matter where you live in the South West, there is no place for drugs.”

Warn landlords to be on the lookout for telltale signs

The Police and Crime Commissioners warn landlords and agents to be on the lookout for telltale signs that a property might be used as a cannabis farm, including:

• Tenants asking for complete privacy and no periodic inspections
• Installing blacked-out windows at the rented property
• Having frequent visitors throughout the day and night
• Light coming from the property, even during the night.

In a letter being sent out to landlord organisations, the PCCs also explain that they have a legal obligation to report their concerns, what information landlords should be reporting – and how to file a report.