More than £130,000 worth of drugs have been seized and over 4,000 arrests have been made by joint policing units across the region in the last year.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Joint Protective Services (JPS) also seized over 900 vehicles and carried out over 130 pre-planned operations over the last 12 months, it has been revealed.

The JPS, which comprises of units including dogs, road policing and major crime, delivered £1.5m in savings for the three forces in the last year, and it is projected that £2.48m will be saved in the next year.

The dog unit has been particularly fruitful for the force, with it assisting with 1,009 arrests, finding 118 packages of drugs worth an estimated street value of £130,965, £61,690 in cash and 19 weapons.

Assistant Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic said: “Our collaborated JPS team continues to be a major success, focusing our resources to deliver the best possible services for the three forces.

“Having these shared dedicated units with expertise in key areas allows us to make savings while delivering a top quality service fighting crime and keeping people safe. “The statistics around arrests, seizures and investigations show just how much value the JPS units add, as well as the daily work to support local policing in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.”

The JPS function is made up of 546 officers and 428 staff from across the three forces.