Police’s new gang tactic? Seize their designer trainers

POLICE have revealed their latest tough tactic in the war on gangs – confiscating youths’ expensive trainers.

The usual deterrent of arresting children who act as runners for drug dealers and holding them in custody has had little impact, they say.

But officers have discovered that seizing suspected offenders’ designer shoes – regarded as status symbols on the streets – and sending them home in plain black plimsolls is making them ‘extremely unhappy’.

Around 100 pairs of designer trainers are being held in Swindon’s main police station under the Proceeds of Crime Act, as part of an operation to tackle the drugs trade.

Police say 15 pairs have been confiscated in the past few weeks alone. Designer clothes, believed to have been bought as a result of criminal activity, are also being seized by officers.

The gangs, often based in London, use children and vulnerable addicts to help peddle their drugs. In exchange for their ‘work’ these runners are bribed with expensive gifts such as trainers or designer clothing.

Officers hope taking away their rewards will teach youngsters that crime does not pay.

Police have the legal right to seize goods they have reasonable grounds to believe were obtained as a result of committing a criminal offence.

Once a conviction is secured, the trainers can be sold under the Proceeds of Crime Act and funds returned to the public purse. Forces across the country regularly auction off expensive items owned by criminals.

Detective Constable George North, of Wiltshire Police, said: ‘People seem to hate the fact that we’ve seized their trainers and they have to leave custody in black plimsolls.

‘ They’re extremely unhappy about it, but we think that’s a good thing. We want to get the message out that we’re dealing robustly with people if we think they’re buying their trainers with money from drugs.

‘For some of these young people, these trainers or designer clothes can be seen as a status symbol, so losing that is pretty difficult for them to deal with.

‘When we seize their expensive trainers under the Proceeds of Crime Act, we are essentially taking away what they have worked for and we hope it will have an impact.’ DC North said the youths do not appear to be concerned about being arrested and released under investigation.

The fact they are suspects in a serious crime ‘doesn’t have any effect on them,’ he added.

Sergeant Georgia Green of Wiltshire Police urged parents to look out for the tell-tale signs that their children are being exploited by gangs. They include new trainers, staying out later and suddenly coming into cash.

Sgt Green urged parents to: ‘Ask questions and report any suspicions to police, as they could be being exploited.

‘From the first moment they are recruited into these gangs I don’t think these children know quite what risks they will be facing, and by that time it is too late and they are trapped.

‘If they knew what they were falling into they wouldn’t do it, so I would encourage parents to try and have that chat with their children. It shouldn’t be a chat we have with them at the time of their arrest. I’d also like to stress to young people, that you may well be offered £100 a day to work for these drugs gangs, but the risks just are not worth it.’