29 arrests made, drugs valued at £10,000 seized and weapons recovered as part of national week of action

A national week of action against the on-going threat of County Lines has resulted in a total of 29 arrests being made by Suffolk police.

During the week, the constabulary along with other forces conducted arrests and warrants, organising dedicated patrols, and gathering intelligence across the county.

As part of the week of action officers made 29 arrests for a variety of offences as part of the week’s efforts.

Additionally, the force conducted welfare visits to 111 properties where police understood the residents to be victims of “cuckooing” with 34 vulnerable individuals engaged with.

Cash to the value of in excess of £5,000 was recovered with drugs with an estimated street value of £10,000 were also seized, along with a selection of weapons, including a machete, zombie knives and a taser.

Other activity conducted included proactive patrols around train stations as well uniform and plain clothed patrols.

Officers also linked in with local hotels and B and Bs to provide factsheets and provide awareness information to identify suspicious activity that could be associated with County Lines activity on their business premises as well as with taxi businesses to alert them to activity such as young passengers going on frequent, long journeys.

Police have also been liaising with housing partnerships on the issue of cuckooing and providing advice for landlords and tenants as to the signs to look for. The force’s school liaison officers and youth engagement teams have also been busy engaging with schools and colleges with advice, leaflets and talks.

Detective Superintendent Dave Giles said: “This was another productive week in terms of arrests, gathering intelligence and engaging with vulnerable people. Although it’s important to say our work to address the issue of County Lines and drug supply is something we tackle all year round.

“We are working harder than ever to crack down on county lines, which bring misery to communities in the form of drug dealing and violence.

“Tackling county lines is in equal parts about safeguarding victims, shutting down the line and targeting line holders. This is not an issue we can tackle alone with local agencies, charities, partners, schools, parents all need to help us protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

“Illegal drug activity and associated crime can have a detrimental effect on communities and I would like to reassure residents that we will continue to act on information provided to us.”

Cllr Bobby Bennett, Cabinet Member for Equality and Communities, and Chair of the Safer Stronger Communities Board, said: “County lines has no place in Suffolk and we must do all we can to prevent and disrupt it. Together with partners on the Safer Stronger Communities board, we will continue to support important initiatives like this as part of a Suffolk wide commitment to tackling criminal exploitation.”

Information and advice for young people about gang/county lines culture and how to leave a gang.http://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/gangs-information-and-advice

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs within the UK. The gang establishes a drug market in a rural town, with origins to an urban city location with mobile phones frequently used to facilitate the drug deals. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons.

Last week’s activity (from March 7 to 11) was coordinated by the National County Lines Coordination Centre set up by the National Crime Agency and NPCC