What is ‘County Lines’?

‘County Lines’ is a term used when drug gangs from big cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs.

These dealers will use dedicated mobile phone lines, known as ‘deal lines’, to take orders from drug users.

All kinds of illegal drugs are being supplied and ordered, including heroin and cocaine. Other drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy are also in demand.

In most instances, the users or customers will live in a different area to where the dealers and networks are based, so drug runners are needed to transport the drugs and collect payment.

A common feature in county lines drug supply is the exploitation of young and vulnerable people. The dealers will frequently target children and adults – often with mental health or addiction problems – to act as drug runners or move cash so they can stay under the radar of law enforcement.

Suspected drugs seized from one of the recent property raids

Destructive cycle

Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton, of North Yorkshire Police, said that county lines was an operational priority for North Yorkshire Police, with three dedicated proactive teams dedicated to the issue: “There are drug users in all towns and it’s important that vulnerable people are offered the help to get out of the destructive cycle of drug use. It’s a complex problem with many factors which is why partnership working with housing providers, drug intervention and local authorities and the health service is important.”

“The criminals will exploit younger people and children and force them to transport the drugs to the smaller towns, often using public transport. In a practice known as cuckooing, they also take over the homes of vulnerable people, again often drug users themselves, to store and sell their drugs while they are in the area.

“Any teenager is at risk of becoming involved, even those from affluent families.

“Our advice to parents is to talk to your children about drugs and be aware of the signs to look out.”

What should parents look out for:

Gangs are increasingly using social media to recruit children via mobile phones who aren’t typically vulnerable, so everyone needs to be alert to the following signs:

• Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of-area;
• Unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones
• Excessive receipt of texts / phone calls
• Relationships with controlling / older individuals or groups
• Leaving home / care without explanation
• Suspicion of physical assault / unexplained injuries
• Carrying weapons
• Significant decline in school results / performance
• Gang association or isolation from peers or social networks
• Self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being

If you suspect a child you care for or know is being exploited, please call the police on 101, if they are in immediate danger, always call 999 

Visit https://northyorkshire.police.uk/ for advice and information for parents.

North Yorkshire Police says that public help and vigilance is needed, following high-profile county lines drug raids across Harrogate.

Detective Superintendent Steve Thomas, of North Yorkshire Police, has revealed a list of “key challenges” for the force and says although three county lines drug dealing routes into Harrogate have been smashed, there is still work to do,

He said that it was a priority for one of Britain’s safest towns that police resources were going into the fight against drug dealers, in a bid to keep them out of North Yorkshire.

Speaking at the recent Overview and Scrutiny committee, at Harrogate Borough Council, he said: “There is a drug using community here in Harrogate and weapons are being used to protect the business model to make it work.

“All our police resources have been put into county lines. We are working to stop the gap being filled after recent arrests and keep them out of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.”

His comments come after two police operations to smash drug dealing involving more than 70 officers from North Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and the National Crime Agency. They targeted a series of addresses relating to county lines dealing, which has seen 18 arrests to date.

He said that Operation Jackal had taken eight months of intensive police work – focusing on gangs in Bradford and also criminality in Harrogate, bringing a total of 18 arrests so far.

Lowest crime rate

Although Harrogate is officially one of the “safest” places to live in Britain, with the lowest crime rate in England and Wales, it has not deterred the infiltration of drug dealers.

People who live and work in North Yorkshire are around twice as unlikely to fall victim to crime compared to other areas, despite a 12% increase in recorded offences, with violent crime, stalking and robbery on the rise, according to the latest crime figures.

Acting superintendent Andy Colbourne

Acting Superintendent Andy Colbourne, of North Yorkshire Police, pictured above, added: “County lines remains a major priority for North Yorkshire Police and I hope our recent operation provides reassurance to the people of Harrogate that we will take action against the scourge of drug dealing, particularly where it affects some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“We urge anyone who has any information about drug dealing in their neighbourhood to contact us on 101 or if they prefer, to pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers. Every piece of information helps us to build up a bigger picture and informs our operational activity. As you can see, we are determined to rid our communities of the misery and associated crime that drug dealing causes.”