POLICE have raided a Bournemouth kebab shop as part of an operation to tackle burglary.

Officers entered the shop, a flat above it and a nearby house to launch Operation Castle 2014.

Uniformed officers were accompanied by officials from the UK Immigration Service for the surprise raid, carried out this morning at Smile Grill in Charminster Road.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and another man was taken away for questioning about immigration matters.

A quantity of property was also removed from the premises, which will now be closed for the rest of the day while a detailed search is carried out.

Operation Castle is conducted across Dorset every year between December 1 and January 31 due to the annual increase in burglaries around the festive season.

Detective Inspector Andy Dilworth said: “We do not want people to become victims of crime. Not only are we targeting burglars but we are targeting the handlers too - without them there is no market for dwelling burglaries.

“We want to send a clear message to those involved - we are going to come looking for you.”

Passers-by watched in surprise as police vehicles turned up outside Smile Grill at around 11.30 this morning.

Detective Sergeant Andy Haworth said executing search warrants is just one of the tactics used as part of Operation Castle.

He added: “We know there is a black market for the stolen goods and there are a number of different ways in which the goods are sold.”