In a two day operation across the West Midlands by British Transport Police (BTP) and West Midlands Police, a County Line was identified, offenders were arrested, and a cuckooed premises was identified and two men within the property were safeguarded.
The joint operation saw the taskforce flood stations with covert and uniformed officers, joined by BTP Dogs, as they doubled up on their efforts to dismantle County Lines.
The BTP County Lines Taskforce is pivotal in intercepting the exploitation of people by County Lines and making safeguarding interventions to protect vulnerable people from the gangs.
Officers deployed at stations in Coventry and Wolverhampton, and the next day in Birmingham city centre stations, conducted 33 stop and searches, made nine arrests, and five children and two adults were safe guarded and referred to specialist support services.
Class A drugs with a street value of £2,500 was seized alongside £400 of cash, two men were recalled to prison and three weapons were seized and removed from the transport network.
Safeguarding partners also joined the operation, with The Railway Children and The Children’s Society encouraging station staff, passengers and commuters to look closer to spot the signs of child exploitation and to report any concerns or incidents they witness.
As well as arresting those who prey upon the vulnerable, seizing drugs, weapons and phones, specialist officers also gather intelligence into the organised crime groups responsible and target them, removing their ability to cause harm.
Detective Superintendent David Udomhiaye, Taskforce lead, said: “This week’s activity to shut down County Lines and identify and safeguard those they exploit was another nail in the coffin for the gangs that hide behind the vulnerable.
“These operations, using resources including our passive drugs dogs, knife arch and covert officers, take place every day across the network, sometimes you’ll spot us sometimes you won’t but rest assured we’re always there to take action.
“Results like these are testament to the expertise of the Taskforce and send a robust message to anyone involved in criminality that it’s just a matter of time before they are caught and arrested.
“Working with our partners at West Midland Police means we can pool not just our considerable resources but also key intelligence which means we can strike at the very heart of County Lines gangs.
“We encourage anyone to report any signs of child exploitation or any concerns to us by discreetly texting 61016, any information can help lead to the capture of those responsible.”