British Transport Police

More than 470 arrests have been made by the British Transport Police since December, as part of a new campaign to crack down on County Lines organised crime networks.

BTP has revealed that £173,000 in cash and 75 dangerous weapons have also been seized by its dedicated Taskforce, which has carried out Home Office-funded operations across the network for more than six months.

Substantial amounts of drugs have also been recovered, including a package of suspected cannabis that was found on May 12 tucked beneath the pram of an individual’s four-day-old baby. A 27-year-old suspect was arrested at Liverpool Lime Street during the incident and will now face criminal charges, while the child has been taken into care.

County Lines drug dealing is the movement of drugs by gangs from large cities into smaller towns. The gangs often exploit and intimidate children or vulnerable adults into moving the drugs or the cash it generates across the rail network.

Twenty-six people have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism for safeguarding since the Taskforce began.

Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams, the lead for the BTP County Lines Taskforce, said: “Our experience has proven that gangs who use the railway network rely on young people to move drugs.

“These individuals are victims, forced through exploitation or intimidation into desperate situations. It’s always our priority to make support available that can get them out of harm and away from crime.”

For a full feature on the work of the Taskforce, and how it works in partnership with other agencies and the rail industry, see RAIL 912.