More than 90 people were arrested and £40,000 cash seized during a week of activity across the South West targeting county lines and child criminal exploitation.
The five South West police forces joined together for the 10th iteration of Operation Scorpion, the regional crackdown on drug dealing and associated crime, which ran in conjunction with the national County Lines Intensification Week.
In total across the region:
- 95 people were arrested
- £47,863 cash was seized
- 37kg of cannabis, plus 564 cannabis plants, was seized
- 3.7kg of cocaine was seized
- 107 people were safeguarded, including 32 children
The week of activity – from November 25 to December 1 – had a particular focus on child criminal exploitation (CCE), where criminals groom and exploit young people into carrying out crimes on their behalf.
This often involves drugs and county lines, as gangs use children and vulnerable people to sell drugs and move monies.
Across the week, officers worked with partners to conduct a range of community-led engagement activities on CCE, including talks in schools, educational stalls at high-footfall locations in towns and cuckooing checks for vulnerable adults and children.
A range of enforcement activity also took place, as warrants across the counties resulted in tens of thousands of pounds of cash being seized and Class A and B drugs being taken off the streets.
Speaking on behalf of the five regional police forces, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper said: “Operation Scorpion is about combining the resources, intelligence and enforcement powers of all the police forces across the South West to create the most difficult environment for those intent on dealing illegal drugs across our region.
“The results from the latest week's regional activity of arrests and drugs seizures show that we continue to be effective in disrupting the illegal drugs trade – dismantling organised criminal gangs, removing illegal substances from our neighbourhoods and arresting those who deal them.
"We must also remember the on-going work by police and our partners to protect and support vulnerable people - often children and young adults - who are coerced to join these criminal networks.
"Bribed with gifts and money, once recruited, these victims are usually threatened with or are victim to violence, forcing them to remain in these criminal gangs.
"Safeguarding these vulnerable young people, along with protecting everyone in our communities, goes to the heart of the Wiltshire Police priority to create Safer Public Spaces for all.
"Our work doesn't stop at the end of this latest Operation Scorpion. We know that County Lines involving criminals who supply and distribute illegal drugs across our borders, creating complex networks of drugs lines around the region, will continue.
"However, in response, we will continue to take a strong and robust stance against exploitative criminality. Our message remains – the South West is no place for drugs.”
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Operation Scorpion demonstrates a border-less approach to policing to reduce the serious harm and violence caused by drugs across the whole region, as drug crime isn’t just a problem in urban police areas. Our message is clear – Wiltshire and the South West is no place for drugs.
“This iteration was particularly focussed on the criminal exploitation of young people by drugs gangs and I want to urge parents to not shy away from having the difficult conversations with their child if they're concerned.
"Parents must have open conversations with their children around County Lines, knife crime and associated criminality, and know what signs to look out for.
“My office in partnership with the force have recently run the Spot the Signs, Stop the Crime campaign which involved working closely with stakeholders and partners to educate young people and parents on the red flags associated with child criminal exploitation through targeted awareness materials and school visits.
“Young people themselves can find out more about the risks around child criminal exploitation by visiting the Check it Out youth zone section of my website for support and guidance.”
Operation Scorpion is a collaboration between the five police forces in the South West region (Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire), alongside their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police and South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) to combine resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for drugs.
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