Dozens of deal lines closed after police get funding to tackle county lines gangs

Police closed 140 deal lines and seized more than £3m worth of drugs and cash between November and March, following £25m funding from the Government to tackle the issue.

County lines gangs operate by phone lines advertising drugs for sale, with gang members often recruiting young people to transport the drugs from cities to towns.

Around 100 weapon seizures have also been made, while around 140 children and 23 adults have been safeguarded through efforts to hone in on the transportation of drugs and cash.

British Transport Police (BTP) estimates there are around 2,700 open lines in Britain, with 31 known to be active in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The force was allocated a chunk of the £25m last Autumn which has been used to dedicate a taskforce of officers monitoring Britain's trains for young people who may be carrying drugs and cash for criminals.

It has also introduced drug detection dogs on trains and in stations.

Officers are based in the three main 'hub' areas of the country from whence it is known drugs are being exported, namely Greater London, Merseyside and the West Midlands.

In the four months between November and March, some 70 deal lines were shut down by the Metropolitcan Police, 61 by Merseyside Police and eight by the West Midlands force.

BTP made the highest number arrests of all forces, making 276 arrests. Some 657 arrests were made overall, with 269 charges brought and 33 convictions so far.

The news was welcomed by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who described county lines as “an abhorrent crime which inflicts misery on communities”.

Ms Patel said: “I am determined to roll up county lines drugs gangs and stop them from terrorising our towns and exploiting our children.

“The police will always have my backing in tackling this threat and, crucially, protecting victims.”

The National Crime Agency’s (NCA) most recent strategic assessment of serious and organised crime identified more than 3,000 unique deal line numbers last year, of which 800 to 1,100 were estimated to be active during a given month.

Nikki Holland, the NCA's Director of Investigations and joint National County Lines Lead, said: “Protecting young and vulnerable people from County Lines networks remains a priority for law enforcement, and our work continues despite the challenging situation the UK is facing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Since the National County Lines Centre opened our intelligence picture is the best it’s ever been and law enforcement has united to target criminals, making thousands of arrests and seizing significant amounts of cash in coordinated action.

“We welcome investment in our work to tackle County Lines and we are continuing our work at pace with partners to target the illicit finances behind the county lines operations; working to strip criminals of their assets to have maximum and lasting impact against those damaging our communities.”