Partnership of the year
Wednesday, 23 December, 2009
Humberside Police's Operation Cobra - a multi agency operation to tackle the production, distribution and sale of counterfeit discs - won the Partnership of the Year award at Humberside Local Criminal Justice Board's Local Justice
Award which took place at the end of November.
The operation for which they won the award was launched in December 2008
by officers from Hull's Critical Investigation Team to investigate the sale and production of counterfeited
optical discs in the Hull area.
During the operation Humberside Police detectives worked closely with Hull Trading Standards, the Crown Prosecution Service, Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and a number of other anti piracy agencies.
In total 19 people were arrested and charged or cautioned with trademark offences. During the operation Police executed warrants uncovered numerous
counterfeiting factories with DVD copying burners seized along with computers
and associated hardware.
In addition 6,000 counterfeited discs were
seized. It is also estimated that in
excess of 140,000 counterfeited discs have been recovered over the last two years of multi-agency operations
and this would have caused a huge loss to the film, music and gaming industry if sold at full price.
There are also a number of Proceeds of Crime applications going through the
Crown Court for people convicted during the operation. Detective Inspector Mike
Reed said: "It is fantastic to have won an award and shows the work being undertaken by the Humberside Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, FACT, Hull
Trading Standards and anti piracy agencies is really valued by people involved in the criminal justice system."
Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General, added: "Operation Cobra was a tremendous example of true partnership working across
a number of agencies and FACT congratulates Humberside Police on the award which also recognises the positive impact from such actions."
