Dozen warrants, 28 arrests and over 1,000 schoolchildren spoken to in campaign to tackle county lines

Last week (27 February and 5 March), South Yorkshire Police took part in a national, multi-agency operation tackling county lines crime.

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line’.

They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence, including sexual violence, and weapons.

Throughout the week, we had officers engaging pupils in schools across the district, teaching children about exploitation and what this can mean, in addition to holding engagement stalls, where officers and partners spoke to more than 500 members of the public about spotting the signs.

Hotels in Barnsley and taxi firms in Rotherham were visited and staff were given advice and training on exploitation and child exploitation.

The Meadowhall policing team also provided training to all Meadowhall staff in relation to child exploitation and county lines, and posters went up in the trams across Sheffield, providing information on cuckooing.

Last week’s action saw 14 warrants carried out across South Yorkshire. Some 105 cannabis plants were found across two addresses in Doncaster.

In Rotherham, a warrant was executed at an address in Parkgate, where a large quantity of crack cocaine and heroin, worth around £4,000, was recovered, in addition to £5,000 in cash, body armour and phones.

Mohammed Marson, 22, of Rawmarsh Hill, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply. He was later charged with possession of crack cocaine and heroin and remanded to court.

Chief Inspector Leanne Dean, the County Lines Intensification Week lead, said: “It’s been a fantastic week and I am really pleased with the results we achieved.

“Going out and speaking to the young people of South Yorkshire has been an important element of the last week, making sure they understand what exploitation is and how easy it can be to be coerced into county lines criminality, and if they feel something is not right, they can report this to us.

“Another element of county lines crime is cuckooing, and we’ve worked hard this week to educate our officers and the public on spotting the signs, as it is something that can be happening right under your nose.”

If you have any concerns or would like to report cuckooing, or you or someone you know is being exploited, you can contact police via our new online live chat, our online portal or by calling 101, or 999 if you’re in danger.

You can access the online portal here: www.southyorks.police.uk/contact-us/report-something/

Alternatively you can stay anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers. Call their UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or complete a simple and secure anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org