A JOINT policing operation has now made more than 900 arrests.
British Transport Police launched the County Lines taskforce in 2019 to prevent more vulnerable children and teenagers being drawn into County Lines gangs.
Since December 1, 2019, officers have seized more than £300,000, made nearly 500 drug seizures, and have removed more than 150 dangerous weapons from Britain’s railways.
The taskforce has also secured 15 modern slavery charges to date, and arrested 934 people.
Research conducted by the British Transport Police shows that County Lines gangs target vulnerable teenagers. They are exploited by older men and women who lure them in with promises of money and status, then threaten violence if they try and leave.
They are employed to move drugs and money between locations, sometimes travelling hundreds of miles.
Gareth Williams, the Taskforce’s lead detective superintendent, said that since its inception, the Taskforce has painted a “very strong picture” of how County Lines gangs use the railways.
“We know where they are operating and the young age groups they target,” he said. “We’ve used the Home Office funding to bring in experts in child exploitation from notable charities committed to tackling County Lines.”
Superintendent Williams said the taskforce aims to put pressure on gangs wherever they operate, while working with the railway industry to look for signs of exploitation.
“We use their reports to identify where we should target next,” he added.
Home secretary Priti Patel said the County Lines taskforce has delivered “impressive results”.
“It is fantastic to see that in just over a year, their important work has led to the arrests of 934 people suspected to be involved in the drugs trade,” she said.
“I am immensely grateful to all officers for the work they are doing to break up county lines drugs gangs, helping to prevent vulnerable young people from being drawn into a life of crime.”
