A TWO-week police operation on a housing estate saw 18 people arrested and a suspected crackhouse closed.

Maidstone and Malling Police have hailed the operation – carried out in Park Wood, Maidstone, during August – as a success.

The operation was aimed at improving people’s quality of life. It involved high visibility policing, intelligence gathering and meeting residents in the area.

The arrests were made for a variety of offences, including disqualified driving, burglary, drugs and failing-to-appear warrants.

Drugs were also seized and checks carried out on licensed premises and businesses. One address – a suspected crack house – was the subject of a closure order granted at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court. The order remains until December 1.

The Automatic Number Plate Reader was also used with nearly 11,000 vehicles checked. And Operation Cubit targeted abandoned cars. During the two-week period, 24 vehicles were seized and eight owners paid on-the-spot fines.

Residents were invited to tell police how they felt about policing in their area.

The fortnight ended with a Community Open Day at Bellwood Junior School.