POLICE carried out simultaneous raids on three properties in Tavistock in the early evening of Friday, September 19. Three warrants were issued by magistrates in Plymouth authorising officers to search premises for drugs and counterfeit money. Two residential addresses and one commercial property were searched. Officers seized illegal drugs at each of the premises. A quantity of apparently counterfeit money was seized from one address and a number of mobile phones were also seized. Police are now making enquiries into the items. Sgt Dave Anning at Tavistock Police Station said: 'Analysing suspected counterfeit money is a specialised process — a good analysis might link the notes to others elsewhere in the country, providing the links necessary to work out the source. In fact counterfeiting is a risky form of crime with a much higher risk of being caught than many people realise. An important function of the Bank of England is to monitor counterfeits — they remove them when re-circulating currency — and their annual figures demonstrate how hard it is to get away with this sort of crime. 'From a policing perspective, this is a crime that crops up in one of two ways. Either the odd note pops up, or the police start to see a small flurry of them. Retailers are very tuned in to counterfeit notes, most of which feel different or look different, and the more notes are used the greater the likelihood that someone will recall who passed the note — or tried to. Once this happens, a knock on the door is inevitable. 'In a small town like Tavistock, police are often alerted when even a single bank note is suspected. Local knowledge is better in small communities as well. You can help by letting the police or a bank know immediately if you suspect a counterfeit note. If you refuse to accept a note because you think it is counterfeit — please report it — especially if you know who tendered it.' Sgt Anning said that if you have ended up with a counterfeit note, it is of no value and do not be tempted to pass it on as you will be committing a crime. Report it and pass the note to the police and if possible do not handle the note any more if you know it is fake.