Police chief meets victim of county lines crime gang
●
THE victim of a drug gang who took over his home to use as a base for dealing has received a visit from Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner.
David Keane dropped in during a week-long crackdown on ‘county lines’ criminals which saw five arrests across Halton and seven more around the rest of Cheshire.
He found out first hand how dealers had picked on a resident who lived alone, forcing their way into his home so they could sell drugs.
The man’s ordeal ended when neighbours became concerned about how he was being treated and reported it to the police.
A spokeswoman for Mr Keane said police then dealt with his tormenters and put safeguarding in place. Police community support officer Paul Barker now makes regular checks and the man has not been targeted since.
Mr Keane joined him on his latest visit.
He said: “It was harrowing to see the impact that county lines has had on this vulnerable person in our community.
“In this case, the individual had people close to him who contacted police, which ensured this gang could be disrupted and that he was given support to move him away from criminality.
“Sadly, not all vulnerable people in our communities have people looking out for them.
“That’s why it’s important that police use intelligence to breakdown county lines drug activity at its core to stop vulnerable people being exploited and in Cheshire there’s already been a number of successful prosecutions against organised crime groups running county lines operations.
“Cheshire Constabulary is also working with schools to educate our young people, partners and teachers about how to spot the signs of county lines.”