DOZENS of police officers swamped a busy town centre in a crackdown on drug users and troublemakers.

Staffordshire Police sent around 40 officers and a sniffer dog into Newcastle last night.

And the force staged a similar operation in Leek town centre.

The dual operation came after officers carried out dawn raids at 17 homes believed to be linked to the supply of Class-A drugs on Thursday. The search warrants, executed as part of Operation Nemesis, took place across Newcastle and the Moorlands and resulted in 13 arrests.

Last night officers used powers including stop and search and Section 27 dispersal orders.

Inspector Neil Hulme, commander of Newcastle neighbourhood policing unit, said: "We had two operations running together. We believe cocaine and amphetamine use contributes to violence, as well as alcohol.

"But we also had Operation Safer Nights running, which is about early intervention, and we are removing people from the town centre before they get involved in violence later on. We also work closely with door staff and licensees."

Drugs dog Ben, who has been trained to sit down if any trace of a drug is detected, was in Newcastle.

Officers stressed that some of those picked out may have innocently come into contact with an illegal substance, but all were searched regardless.

If officers thought it necessary, suspects were then taken to Newcastle police station for a more thorough search.

The operation went on from 8pm until the early hours of this morning. During an earlier briefing, officers had been shown photographs of known troublemakers to look out for.

They visited every pub and club in the town centre to ensure landlords were abiding by their licences.

Drinkers causing trouble early in the evening were given Section 27 orders instructing them to leave the town centre for up to 48 hours, or risk arrest.

Later on, anyone arrested for drugs or violent offences was taken to the Northern Area Custody Facility in Etruria.

Most people welcomed the action.

Keele University student Christian Hodkinson was searched after being picked out by the police dog, but was not carrying any drugs.

The 18-year-old, from Clayton, said: "I was a bit shocked when the dog sat next to me, but I wasn't worried because I knew I hadn't done anything.

"It was a bit embarrassing because people were walking past, thinking I had done something wrong.

"It is good that police are doing this."

Ground worker Andrew Scott, from Newcastle, was searched but was also found to be innocent.

The 24-year-old said: "It didn't bother me that I was searched. The police are just doing their job."

And bouncer Tom Redshaw, aged 27, from Stoke, said: "I think the police do a good job. It puts the word out. People know that if they are doing drugs, or causing trouble, they could get caught by police and they will stay away."

Details of whether any arrests were made were not available at the time of going to press.

To find out how the operation went see Monday's

Sentinel.