Devon & Cornwall Police and regional police partners crack down on County Lines

Last week (25 November – 1 December 2024) police forces across the country took part in a week of intensified activity to detect and disrupt County Lines activity which brings violence and exploitation to the south west. County Lines is the term used to describe drug dealing where mobile phones are used to supply drugs, typically from large cities to towns and rural areas. County Lines are run by ‘Line Holders’ and the runners, often vulnerable people, deliver the drugs. The runners are often children being exploited and may possess knives or other weapons.

The national County Lines Intensification Week was organised by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC).

It was conducted in Devon and Cornwall simultaneously with Operation Scorpion 10, an ongoing collaboration between Devon & Cornwall Police, Wiltshire Police, Avon and Somerset Police, Dorset Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, British Transport Police, the five offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU). Operation Scorpion is designed to combine all these resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for drugs.

The aims of the two operations were aligned, not just to disrupt the criminal activity which brings harm to our communities, but also to detect and safeguard vulnerable children and young people who are exploited by criminal gangs. Spotting the signs of this criminal exploitation can provide invaluable intelligence to the police and help them in this work.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said: “The intelligence we receive from the public is vital in our efforts to weed out criminality and to safeguard the vulnerable. There is perhaps no clearer crossover of these two purposes than in the disruption of criminal gangs intent on supplying illegal drugs into our communities and safeguarding the vulnerable people who often become involved in this pernicious trade.

“There are few sectors of society that are more vulnerable to exploitation than children. Child criminal exploitation is when someone uses a child under 18 years old to commit crimes for them. The child does not need to have met whoever is exploiting them - children can be targeted  via social media platforms and gaming forums.

“Recognising the signs of child criminal exploitation is key to stopping this. Please take some time to familiarise yourself with the signs of child criminal exploitation, and if you see it please report it to us either directly or anonymously through Crimestoppers.”

More information about County Lines can be found on the Devon & Cornwall Police website: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines/

The Children’s Societies “#LookCloser” campaign gives an excellent guide to the signs of criminal exploitation, along with resources for the public and professionals: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/look-closer

During County Lines Intensification Week and Operation Scorpion 10, Devon & Cornwall Police engaged in various activities the results of which include:

• 30 adults and 19 youths engaged with by safeguarding visits to their addresses by Devon & Cornwall Police officers.
• 45 adult and 6 youth mass engagements. Officers met and spoke to all present giving advice on what to do if exploitation happens and how to access Police and partner support to prevent ongoing exploitation.
• 26 arrests

• Estimated street value of drugs seized: Cocaine (£172,040); Heroin (£3,360); Cannabis in various formats (£36,250); Crack Cocaine (£4,190).
• Estimated amount of cash seized: £11,000.
• 28 addresses visited for cuckooing checks (One of the forms of control used by organised criminal gangs exploits vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs, a process known as cuckooing. Dealers often convince the vulnerable person to let their home be used for drug dealing by giving them free drugs or offering to pay for food or utilities.)
• 16 addresses which have been linked to Fast Parcels (where drugs are sent to an unrelated address and collected by criminals later) were attended for safeguarding purposes to provide reassurance and suitable advice, issue formal warning notices and to detect criminality.
• 1 imitation firearm, 2 knives and an extendable baton were seized.

Activities included a joint operation at Torquay Railway Station, led by British Transport Polices County Lines Unit and supported by Devon & Cornwall Police. There were 12 stop searches where BTP Police Dog Polly indicated that a person may have drugs in their possession. There were two arrests and a small amount of cannabis was seized, along with a knife with a locking blade.

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “Drug dealing and misuse is consistently one of our communities’ most significant concerns and I and the other Police and Crime Commissioners in the south west have been consistent in support of robust activity to disrupt exploitative dealers and to protect children.

“The way organised crime gangs ruthlessly exploit young people is horrific and I am very proud of our collaborative efforts here in Devon and Cornwall and the wider south west, over several years, to protect vulnerable people and to prosecute those who prey upon them for their own selfish gain with no thought for the harm it does.”

In total across the region:

• 95 people were arrested
• £47,863 cash was seized
• 37kg of cannabis, plus 564 cannabis plants were seized
• 3.7kg of cocaine was seized
• 107 people were safeguarded, including 32 children

Nationally during County Lines Intensification Week, Police forces have arrested 1,660 criminals and closed 261 County Lines used by County Line gangs to sell drugs. The national crackdown also saw 557 weapons seized, alongside four XL bullies, as well as £1.98 million in cash across the country during the seven-day long intensification week.

Would you spot the signs of child exploitation or abuse? Find out more: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/look-closer

#LookCloser and if you see the signs, report it, here www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/contact or call 101 (999 in an emergency) or anonymously https://crimestoppers-uk.org