Police tackle county lines in new operation

THAMES Valley Police was among a number of forces taking part in a joint operation tackling county lines offences.

Officers co-ordinated the threeday initiative which also saw involvement from officers from Surrey, Sussex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Warwickshire, British Transport Police, and the Metropolitan Police.

The operation used automatic number plate recognition methods to target vehicles using arterial roads and motorways as part of drug-related offences and serious theft.

Road networks between the borders of different police forces are used in ‘county lines’ offences, where drugs are transported between jurisdictions, and often involve the exploitation of young or vulnerable people.

Areas where drugs are smuggled to often see increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes.

Overall the operation resulted in 121 arrests as well as the seizure of 91 vehicles, 19 weapons, and a large quantity of drugs across the force areas.

Superintendent Andy Alexander, from Thames Valley Police, said: “This has been a very successful three-day operation. Officers from a number of police force areas were able to pull together their resources and proactively police our road and train networks to disrupt and detect some of our most serious criminal offenders.

“This operation was a joint effort and involved sharing proactive intelligence and enhancing existing relationships across different forces to target those involved in drug, gang and weapon-based violence.

“Organised criminal activity is not tolerated and offenders should know that police forces work together to disrupt them and to prevent them from disrupting our communities. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities.

“Information from our communities is vital in identifying and intercepting these serious criminals so please tell us if you notice that seems something that just doesn’t seem right. You can report a crime or suspicious incident online at thamesvalley.police.uk or by calling 101.

“Alternatively, contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.”