Bid for a share of seized cash for county lines fight

CASH seized from crooks will be used to help children and young people escape the clutches of County Lines gangs exploiting them to sell drugs in communities across North Wales.

Tackling serious and organised crime will be a priority for the special £40,000 fund set up by North Wales and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones with the support of North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Crime Trust (PACT).

Half the money will be contributed by the commissioner with the rest coming from a pot of cash confiscated from criminals via the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The aim of the Your Community Your Choice scheme is to recycle the ill-gotten gains of villains for positive purposes.

As a result, two community groups in each county in North Wales will receive up to £2,500 each; there will be two £5,000 grants for organisations working across three or more counties in North Wales.

The window for groups to submit applications has now opened, with the winners being chosen by a public vote.

Commissioner Jones, a former police inspector, said: “The aim is to build up resilience in communities to resist this threat, and to resist organised crime groups infiltrating our towns and villages and exploiting and coercing vulnerable young people to deal in drugs. Essentially, we are talking about the scourge of the County Lines gangs.”

Assistant Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “These awards are important because they involve the community and the communities decide where the money can best be spent.

“A lot of what we fund is aimed at providing something for young people to get involved with in their spare time rather than being tempted to commit crime or indulge in anti-social behaviour.

Applications must be returned by e-mail to yourcommunityyourchoice@ nthwales.pnn.police.uk by 5pm on the closing date of December 6.

For more information go to north-wales.police. uk or northwales-pcc.gov. uk or ring 01745 588516.