Test Valley officers disrupt county lines drug networks during week of intensification

Between Monday, 3 October and 9 October, officers in Test Valley supported a national week of action to disrupt county lines networks and the supply of drugs across the district.

County Lines is a term used to describe organised criminal networks who use dedicated mobile phone lines to move illegal drugs out of bigger cities into smaller towns and cities in the UK.

County Lines are run by ‘line holders’ and the runners, who are often young and vulnerable children, are used to deliver and store the drugs. The line holders are likely to use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons in order to exploit vulnerable people, which can often lead to incidents involving serious violence.

In addition to carrying out targeted action against those suspected of being involved in county lines, a large part of these intensification weeks is about educating young and vulnerable people on the dangers of county lines and the signs to look out for of exploitation. Where any child or vulnerable person is identified as being exploited or trafficked, or suspected of being so, a national referral mechanism is made through the use of Modern Slavery legislation.  

Examples of the work Andover’s High Harm Team carried out during the week include:

On Monday, 3 October, officers in Andover carried out a pro-active stop and search of a man in Beales Close. A quantity of cannabis and a Stanley knife were located. Ashley Marshall, 27, of no fixed abode was arrested and later charged with possession of cannabis and possession of a knife in a public place. Marshall appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 4 October and entered guilty pleas to both charges. He is next due to appear at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, 28 October for sentence.

On Tuesday, 4 October, officers from Andover’s High Harm and Neighbourhood teams carried out an operation at Andover train station to disrupt organised crime using public transport as a means to distribute drugs and safeguard exploited children. No arrests were made.

On Wednesday, 5 October, officers carried out a drugs warrant at an address in Turin Court, Andover. A quantity of suspected Class A drugs were located. Two men aged 29 and 24, both from Andover, were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences. The 29-year-old man received a conditional caution for possession of heroin and possession of crack cocaine. Following a review of the evidence, no further action was taken against the 24-year-old man.

On Friday, 7 September, as part of a joint operation with officers from Hampshire Constabulary and the Metropolitan Police a man was arrested and charged with county lines drugs offences. Jordan Essien, aged 23, of Longton Avenue, Lewisham was charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

During the week officers visited ten cuckooed addresses in Andover and spoke with the residents to provide safeguarding advice. The local teams will continue to work alongside housing partners to safeguard these vulnerable tenants and ensure they are receiving the monitoring and support that they need.

As part of their ongoing work, officers from Andover’s High Harm and Neighbourhood Policing teams will continue to identify and engage with vulnerable children and adults, referring them to services that can offer them support where necessary.

Safeguarding groups and charities are a vital tool in the fight against county lines and we encourage members of the public to come forward with information to help those vulnerable people, including children, to be safeguarded.  

Sergeant Stu Harris from Andover’s High Harm team said “We are working harder than ever to crack down on county lines, which bring misery to communities in the form of drug dealing and violence. 

“County Lines is a term used to describe criminal groups who set up drug dealing operations in a place outside of their usual operating area. The groups move their drug dealing from big cities such as London and Liverpool to smaller towns in order to make more money. This can have a really big impact on communities who live there and brings with it serious criminal behaviour.

“Where there are drugs, there is almost always violence which is why tackling and disrupting the supply of drugs, especially through County Lines, is a vital part of our work to reduce violent crime and keep people safe.

“Often, drug dealers will take advantage of and exploit vulnerable housing tenants, taking over their home and using it as a base for their criminal operation. This is known as ‘cuckooing’. Not only do these gangs exploit vulnerable people, but they also target children and recruit them into their criminal network.

“Disrupting county lines drug dealing and preventing the exploitation of vulnerable people is a priority for us in Andover. We will continue to keep up the pressure on those known to us locally as being involved in this kind of activity.”

Shutting down county lines would not be possible without the expertise and support of partners, including charities, such as The Children’s Society, who continue to raise awareness around exploitation with their Look Closer campaign.

Spotting the signs

We encourage our communities to spot the signs that someone might be involved in drugs supply, and to report any suspicious activity to us via 101, the Hampshire Constabulary website or Crimestoppers where reports can be made 100% anonymously.

Some of the things to look out for and consider include:

• Do you know someone who is always going missing from school or their home?
• Are they travelling alone to places far away from home?
• Do they suddenly have lots of money/lots of new clothes/new mobile phones?
• Are they receiving much more calls or texts than usual?
• Are they carrying or selling drugs?
• Are they carrying weapons or know people that have access to weapons?
• Are they in a relationship with or hanging out with someone/people that are older and controlling?
• Do they have unexplained injuries?
• Do they seem very reserved or seem like they have something to hide?
• Do they seem scared?
• Are they self-harming?

Cuckooing is when drug gangs take over the home of a vulnerable person through violence and intimidation, using it as their base for selling/manufacturing drugs.

Signs:

• An increase in people coming and going
• An increase in cars or bikes outside 
• Litter outside
• Signs of drugs use
• You haven’t seen the person who lives there recently or when you have, they have been anxious or distracted.