New figures released on Thursday, 9 March, demonstrate the success of coordinated and persistent police action in tackling county lines drug gangs across England and Wales.
According to the government’s County Lines Programme launched in 2019, the police have closed down 3,588 drug lines, with over 1,000 lines closed in the last year alone.
The government is on track to surpass its target of closing 2,000 lines over three years.
Last week, police forces across the country arrested 1,658 criminals and seized 31kg of Class A drugs and 404 dangerous weapons as part of a nationwide week of intensive action.
This action led to the identification and seizure of 276 drug lines, 68% more than during the last intensification week.
Over £2 million in cash was seized, and 404 weapons, including 288 bladed weapons and firearms such as handguns and shotguns, were confiscated.
Chris Philp, the Crime and Policing Minister, praised the police for their tireless work in ridding the streets of these criminals.
He stated that county lines gangs are manipulative and exploitative, preying on vulnerable people to do their dirty work and tearing families and communities apart in the process.
He affirmed that the government will not stop wiping them out.
Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, Head of The National County Lines Coordination Centre, reported that the intense week of operational and partnership activity was successful in closing 276 deal lines across England, Scotland, and Wales. The police made 1,658 arrests and seized over £2 million in cash.
Safeguarding has been at the heart of the response to county lines criminality, with 78 vulnerable people being referred to support services via the National Referral Mechanism, and Police Forces delivering programs of engagement within schools and working with partners such as The Children’s Society on the #Lookcloser campaign.
The police have closed 1,108 county lines since April 2022, following the government’s commitment in its Drugs Strategy to close an additional 2,000 lines by March 2025.
Since its launch in 2019, the County Lines Programme has resulted in the closure of 3,588 county lines, with 10,209 people arrested and 5,727 people referred for safeguarding.
Crime and Policing Minister, Chris Philp, visited Liverpool to observe how Merseyside Police – one of the priority forces in the County Lines Programme – is using a multi-agency approach to disrupt gangs running drugs in and out of the city.
He also witnessed Operation Overlord in action, which targets key transport hubs to smother supply routes utilized by Organized Crime Gangs, including through the rail and coach networks.
He visited Catch 22, one of the specialist victim support projects for under 25s funded by the Home Office.
Services provided by Catch 22 include a rescue service for young people found far from their home, a one-to-one specialist support service that safely makes contact with young people who have been referred by safeguarding partners, such as the police and children’s services, and works with them to end their involvement in county lines activity, and specialist caseworkers for mental health and women and girls.
The policing response to county lines criminality has never been stronger, and the police will continue to target this abhorrent threat in our communities to make our streets safer.
The figures and the ongoing efforts of the police and other agencies demonstrate the impact of coordinated and relentless action against county lines drug gangs.
»Persistent police action tackling county lines drug gangs«
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