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A video has been created sharing what county lines drug dealing is and what to look out for if you think a person may be being exploited by a county lines gang.
The video has been published as Suffolk, alongside other forces in England and Wales, took part in operations to crackdown on county lines drug dealing and to safeguard those most at risk, with more than 3,000 people engaged by police in the county.
Much of the focus for County Lines Intensification Week, taking place between 4-10 March, was for officers and partner agencies to be aware of and work towards reducing child exploitation, particularly child criminal exploitation associated with county lines.
County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, and often by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. The county line is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs. A person under 18 cannot consent to their exploitation.
While the week of action saw the arrest of individuals, there were a range of awareness events and vulnerability checks taking place, as well as training offered for officers to be better able to identify and respond to victims of child exploitation.
Chief Inspector Matt Bodmer said: “We have come together again as one team in Suffolk to protect those most vulnerable and disrupt those who decide to deal drugs on the streets of Suffolk.
“What has been key to the successful week has been the opportunities to visit those who are vulnerable to being exploited by drug dealers but also educate communities around what signs to look for and how to raise concerns with police and partners.
“The arrests, warrants and searches have been focused on key individuals that intelligence suggests are bringing this type of criminality to the neighbourhoods in Suffolk, affecting communities and placing extra demands on services.
“The results demonstrate the positive approach we are taking to make Suffolk a hostile place for those linked to county lines to operate in.
“County lines remain a focus for police and in Suffolk we have seen successes in disrupting lines with our considered, holistic approach.
"I would like to thank our partners, communities and local media who support Suffolk Constabulary in disrupting this criminality.”
The operation involved local policing teams across the county, as well as investigative, proactive and specialist teams.
Across the county there were 40 arrests with disruption to a number of county lines gangs. In total 11 people were charged with a variety of offences.
Weapons recovered included three knives and six imitation firearms that were found to be air and ball-bearing style guns.
Five referrals were submitted where there were concerns over people being exploited, linked to county lines.
Part of the force’s work with vulnerable people and exploitation included cuckoo address checks. Cuckooing is a practice where people take over a person's home and use the property to facilitate exploitation, for example using the home as a base to deal drugs from.
Multiple address checks were carried out across the force. As well as providing support and guidance to the residents of these addresses, the checks resulted in the identification of a suspected active county line, with two arrests made.
Community engagement events took place throughout the week with 2,862 young people and 358 adults engaged with.
These events included pop up community events, college and school inputs, sessions with emergency services cadets and visits to night-time economy venues and hotels to provide support and explain what county lines is and what to look out for.
These events were all focused on highlighting the signs of exploitation through county lines.
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Once again the results from this week of action are excellent. Removing this hideous crime from Suffolk is a top priority for all agencies and in particular our police force.
“Prosecuting these offenders and bringing them to justice will make Suffolk much safer and as long as I am Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner I will do all I can to support the constabulary and other agencies in this vital work. The criminals need to understand they will be pursued relentlessly and deserve to be caught and punished severely.”
To view the video, please either chose this LINK, or view via the Suffolk Police website HERE
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