Hart and Rushmoor officers seize more than £4,000 in cash and arrest 10 people during County Lines Intensification Week

Police in Hart and Rushmoor seized more than £4,000 in cash, arrested 10 people and disrupted various drugs lines during County Lines Intensification Week.

The week of intensification, which ran from Monday 9 October until Sunday 15 October, saw officers focus their efforts on County Lines.

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

They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store drugs and money, and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons.

During the intensification week, Hart and Rushmoor officers executed warrants, made arrests and carried out proactive patrols and stop checks.

They worked tirelessly to tackle the drug supply and related high harm that brings violence and misery to communities and exposes young people at risk to exploitation.

On Monday 9 October, officers stopped a car on Victoria Road in Aldershot. After searching the vehicle, a quantity of Class B drugs was seized.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B. He has been bailed with conditions until 9 January while our enquiries continue.

Officers later found the driver did not have a licence or insurance and the man was charged with driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance. He is due to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 9 November.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B after officers stopped a vehicle on Plough Gardens in Aldershot.

Officers seized a quantity of Class B drugs and cash.

The man was also arrested on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit and driving while disqualified. He has been bailed with conditions until 9 January.

On Tuesday 10 October, following a foot chase, a man was arrested by officers for drugs offences on Crimea Road in Aldershot.

Officers seized suspected Class A drugs, Class B drugs, mobile phones and cash at the scene.

A 35-year-old man, from Aldershot, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug of Class A and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B. He has been bailed with conditions until 10 January while our enquiries continue.

On the same day, officers from Hart & Rushmoor’s Priority Crime and Neighbourhood Policing Team executed a warrant at an address on High Street, Aldershot.

Officers found suspected Class A drugs, around £3,500 in cash and a knife inside the property.

Joshua Bowen, 27, from High Street, Aldershot, has been charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A and acquiring, using and possessing criminal property.

Bowen appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 11 October and has been remanded into custody. He is next due to appear at Winchester Crown Court on 8 November.

On Wednesday 11 October, a 23-year-old man from Chesham, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A.

Officers stopped a vehicle on Windsor Way, Aldershot, and following a search, found suspected Class A drugs and £500 in cash.

The man was also arrested on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle otherwise in accordance with a licence and using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance. He has been bailed with conditions until 11 January.

Later that day, an 18-year-old man from Farnham was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife blade in a public place after being stopped on Arthur Street, Aldershot.

He was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm and common assault of an emergency worker. He has been released under investigation and our enquiries are ongoing.

Between Thursday 12 October and Friday 13 October, four people were arrested on suspicion of various drugs offences in Aldershot.

Hart and Rushmoor Police Sergeant Helen Wentworth said: “Disrupting County Lines drug dealing and preventing the exploitation of children and vulnerable people in Hart and Rushmoor is a priority for us and this week of action has proven to be a great success.

“Our dedicated officers have been out disrupting County Lines operations in Hart and Rushmoor and have arrested 10 people as part of the intensification week.

“What’s more, two people have been charged and their cases are currently going through the courts.

“Weeks of action are carried out on top of the work we do all year round to identify those involved in drugs and County Lines networks and it is only made possible by the reports we get from our residents, our partners and the community.

“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.

“Please continue to tell us about any suspected drugs activity in your neighbourhood so we can safeguard children and vulnerable adults and bring offenders to justice.”

To make a report, you can contact us on 101 or make a report via our website at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/.

If you don’t want to report to the police directly, you can report to the charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

For information on spotting the signs of exploitation please visit The Children Society’s website https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/child-criminal-exploitation-and-county-lines/spotting-signs