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Police, including officers in Torbay and South Devon, have scored a victory against drugs dealing including the use of children in the illegal trade.
A regional police crackdown on illegal drug activity resulted in 26 arrests and 48 people, including 19 children, being safeguarded in Devon and Cornwall.
The Operation Scorpion week of action also saw more than £10,000 of cash seized in the force area alongside more than 6kg of cannabis and more than 2kg of cocaine.
Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, hailed the 10th iteration of Operation Scorpion, which sees the five South West police forces join together to crack down on drug dealing and associated crime, as an enormous success.
More than 90 people were arrested and £40,000 cash seized across the South West during the week of activity 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 were 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 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 money.
Above: Special Constable Daniel Dray conducts a stop search indicated by PD Polly (negative on this occasion) at Torquay Railway Station joint operation
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.
Commissioner Hernandez said: “Yet again Operation Scorpion has proved an enormous success and sent an unequivocal message to drug dealers and others engaged in illegal drug activity that the South West is no place for drugs.
“Drugs cause untold misery to communities and it’s often the more vulnerable in society who pay the highest price, being preyed upon by ruthless criminals who put them at risk to further their own ends.
“I am pleased that this round of Operation Scorpion has not only taken drugs off our streets, but protected a huge number of people across the South West including children whose lives were at risk of being ruined by illegal drug activity.
“My message to parents or guardians worried about criminal exploitation of young people is to not shy away from having the difficult conversations with a child and know what signs to look out for.”
Anyone concerned can find out more information on signs of exploitation from the Children’s Society at https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/lookcloser
Above: Cannabis seized at Torquay Railway Station joint operation
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 victim to violence, forcing them to remain in these criminal gangs.
“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.”
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 to combine resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for drugs.
A simultaneous operation aimed at County Lines was also mounted.
County Lines is the term used to describe drug dealing where mobile phones are used to supply drugs, typically from large cities to towns and rural areas. County Lines are run by ‘Line Holders’ and the runners, often vulnerable people, deliver the drugs. The runners are often children being exploited and may possess knives or other weapons.
The national County Lines Intensification Week was organised by the National Police Chiefs Council and National County Lines Coordination Centre.
It was conducted in Devon and Cornwall simultaneously with Operation Scorpion 10.
The aims of the two operations were aligned, not just to disrupt the criminal activity which brings harm to our communities, but also to detect and safeguard vulnerable children and young people who are exploited by criminal gangs. Spotting the signs of this criminal exploitation can provide invaluable intelligence to the police and help them in this work.
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said: “The intelligence we receive from the public is vital in our efforts to weed out criminality and to safeguard the vulnerable. There is perhaps no clearer crossover of these two purposes than in the disruption of criminal gangs intent on supplying illegal drugs into our communities and safeguarding the vulnerable people who often become involved in this pernicious trade.
“There are few sectors of society that are more vulnerable to exploitation than children. Child criminal exploitation is when someone uses a child under 18 years old to commit crimes for them. The child does not need to have met whoever is exploiting them – children can be targeted via social media platforms and gaming forums.
“Recognising the signs of child criminal exploitation is key to stopping this. Please take some time to familiarise yourself with the signs of child criminal exploitation, and if you see it please report it to us either directly or anonymously through Crimestoppers.”
More information about County Lines can be found on the Devon & Cornwall Police website: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines/
The Children’s Societies “#LookCloser” campaign gives an excellent guide to the signs of criminal exploitation, along with resources for the public and professionals: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/look-closer
During County Lines Intensification Week and Operation Scorpion 10, Devon & Cornwall Police engaged in various activities the results of which include:
30 adults and 19 youths engaged with by safeguarding visits to their addresses by Devon & Cornwall Police officers.
45 adult and 6 youth mass engagements. Officers met and spoke to all present giving advice on what to do if exploitation happens and how to access Police and partner support to prevent ongoing exploitation.
26 arrests
Estimated street value of drugs seized: Cocaine (£172,040); Heroin (£3,360); Cannabis in various formats (£36,250); Crack Cocaine (£4,190).
Estimated amount of cash seized: £11,000.
28 addresses visited for cuckooing checks (One of the forms of control used by organised criminal gangs exploits vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs, a process known as cuckooing. Dealers often convince the vulnerable person to let their home be used for drug dealing by giving them free drugs or offering to pay for food or utilities.)
16 addresses which have been linked to Fast Parcels (where drugs are sent to an unrelated address and collected by criminals later) were attended for safeguarding purposes to provide reassurance and suitable advice, issue formal warning notices and to detect criminality.
1 imitation firearm, 2 knives and an extendable baton were seized.
Activities included a joint operation at Torquay Railway Station, led by British Transport Polices County Lines Unit and supported by Devon & Cornwall Police. There were 12 stop searches where BTP Police Dog Polly indicated that a person may have drugs in their possession. There were two arrests and a small amount of cannabis was seized, along with a knife with a locking blade.
Nationally during County Lines Intensification Week, Police forces have arrested 1,660 criminals and closed 261 County Lines used by County Line gangs to sell drugs. The national crackdown also saw 557 weapons seized, alongside four XL bullies, as well as £1.98 million in cash across the country during the seven-day long intensification week.
“}]] A regional police crackdown on illegal drug activity resulted in 26 arrests and 48 people, including 19 children, being safeguarded in Devon and Cornwall Read More
