WEST Mercia Police deserves a huge amount of praise for the success of Operation Yeoman.

A network responsible for the distribution of drugs with a street value of £250,000 a week in Worcestershire has been shut down because of the dedicated and courageous work of our police officers.

What's more, as Det Insp Chris Scott said, the drug dealers "believed they were untouchable" - a misapprehension they can now contemplate from their cells.

West Mercia's investigation sends a strong message to anyone tempted down the path of drug crime - there's no hiding place from the forces of law and order.

From its launch in April, 2001, until its conclusion yesterday, Operation Yeoman required painstaking work behind the scenes as well as dangerous undercover investigations. Such dedication shows how West Mercia is continually developing its expertise to target drug dealers.

Clearly, the public has its part to play in helping officers in their quest. Anyone who has information about drugs should pass it on to the police.

Acting Supt Martin Lakeman has told us many people believed that, when they contacted the police with details, nothing was done with that information. That is not the case.

Information - intelligence to use a more dramatic word - is the key to taking drug dealers off the streets. The sooner it's passed on to the police, the better for all of us.