Ambitious target to close 2,000 County Lines by 2025 exceeded in just 18 months
More than 2,000 County Lines have been dismantled and 4,000 arrests made in the past 18 months, as the Government hits its target of closing thousands of these criminal networks in just a year and a half.
The ambitious three-year target to close 2,000 County Lines by 2025 was made in the Government’s ten-year drug strategy.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “County Lines gangs are some of the most vile, exploitative criminals in this country, lining their pockets at the expense of countless vulnerable lives.
“We set a target of taking down 2,000 lines in three years, which we have delivered in half the time. We will go even further to shut down these criminal enterprises and help victims to turn their lives around.”
He said dedicated police taskforces from the County Lines Programme were arresting senior line holders and “breaking the gangs that terrorise communities”.
Between April 2022 and September this year, more than 4,000 arrests have been made, while 4,800 vulnerable people caught up in these drugs operations have been offered support to turn their lives around.
More than 700 County Lines were dismantled between April and September this year alone, with 1,300 arrests made and 1,600 victims supported.
The Home Office said: “These results demonstrate the relentless targeting of County Lines by the police, who are persistently closing them down as they appear.
“The Government is also keeping the dangerous criminals behind these gangs locked up for longer, ensuring they are off our streets and stopping them re-opening drug networks.”
The Home Office launched the County Lines Programme in 2019 to tackle the harmful drug supply model, which it says devastates lives through exploitation, coercion and violence.
County Lines gangs often target the most vulnerable people, manipulating and coercing them into debt, and forcing them to transport and sell drugs.
A key part of the County Lines Programme lies in victim support to ensure that young people and their families have the support they need as they escape these gangs.
Since the start of the programme, the Home Office has invested up to £5 million in support services such as Catch22 and Missing People, which carry out crucial work to help vulnerable individuals and families.
Catch22 provides specialist support and rescue services for young people and their families who are criminally exploited through County Lines.
The Government has committed to increasing police funding to tackle criminal activity such as County Lines and this month announced the 2024/25 provisional police funding settlement which will give police forces in England and Wales up to £922 million additional funding next year, should police and crime commissioners choose to take full advantage of police precept flexibility. In addition to this, more than £200 million will be invested in priority projects next year, including continued work to tackle County Lines.
Since the County Lines Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 5,100 line closures, 15,600 arrests and 8,000 safeguarding referrals. This includes more 2,100 line closures by the Programme taskforces since April 2022.
During a week of intensive action in October this year, police closed 250 lines, arrested more than 1,600 people, seized over 450 weapons and £1.2 million worth of Class A and Class B drugs.