In West Yorkshire, 28 individuals have been apprehended and approximately £15,000 worth of Class A drugs have been confiscated as part of a nationwide operation targeting County Lines crime.
Officers from various units within the force participated in last week’s national County Lines Intensification Week, which aimed to combat serious and organised criminal activities. A total of £14,970 worth of Class A drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine, were seized, along with over £11,000 in suspected illicit funds.
Additionally, officers provided protection for 12 individuals, all of whom were male. They visited four addresses where occupants were believed to be victims of ‘cuckooing’—a situation where the residences of vulnerable individuals are taken over by criminals. The seizures of weapons included four machetes and an axe, and three mobile phones associated with County Lines operations were also confiscated.
Educational sessions were conducted in schools, and local officers heightened their presence within the community, particularly at transportation hubs like bus and train stations, where they collaborated with the British Transport Police. Activity was escalated around prisons, where members of the mounted section patrolled.
Efforts to combat County Lines crime were carried out throughout the week-long initiative, which ran from October 9 to 15.
Detective Inspector Janet Little of West Yorkshire Police’s Programme Precision, which is dedicated to tackling serious and organised crime in West Yorkshire, said:
“This period of intensification has seen us tackling County Lines activity on a number of fronts and I am pleased that we have made a number arrests as well as seizing drugs and cash.
“We have worked with partners and third sector organisations to engage with vulnerable people and ensured that those people are safeguarded.
“The week of activity was carried out as part of Programme Precision, which is West Yorkshire Police’s response strategy to tackle the serious and organised crime that can be a blight on our communities.”
To report concerns regarding crime in your community, please contact West Yorkshire Police at 101 or visit https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat.
