Minister vows ‘evil’ drug trade crackdown as thousands of county lines shut down in past year
The new figures of the Ministry of Interior revealed that more than 2,300 drug trafficking “agreement line” was closed last year.
Crime Minister Sarah Jones welcomed the new data he said, “Speak for his own”, but he promised to “go further than ever to stop this evil trade, and added that the authorities would be” relentless “in the fight against drug gangs.
The government said that investing in targeted studies and automatic plate recognition (ANP) technology on important transportation networks has resulted in the accusation of more than 1,120 senior gang members in the last 12 months until July.
These figures are the highest annual figures since the start of the government’s district boundaries program six years ago, ie 2019.
Ms. Jones, who joined the police at dawn at Liverpool within a scope of an operation targeting drugs on Tuesday, said, “It is disgusting and cowardly to exploit children and vulnerable people in this way.”
“District boundaries gangs also lead to knife crimes in our societies, and I want the criminals to know that we will not allow them to stay.
“We will not stop pursuing these gangs.
“Today’s consequences are obvious, but we go further than ever to stop this bad trade.”
Ms. Jones said that the three new criminal offenses brought through the Crime and Policing Law to be examined in the Lords Council before it was enacted would help to “ensure that the punishment is in accordance with the seriousness of the crime”.
These include new crimes such as forced internal concealment, where children and vulnerable people are forced to hide objects in their bodies, and the criminal abuse of children, each requiring imprisonment of up to 10 years.
The third new crime, the Guguk bird (seizing the homes of vulnerable people to commit a crime) will be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison.
Lynn Perry, General Manager of Barnardo’s aid organization, called on the treated of the exploited children to be treated as victims instead of guilty.
“Children who are abused are often forced to commit a crime by keeping under pressure, threatening and feeling that there is no way out.
“For a long time, these children have been treated as criminals instead of victims in need of protection.
“The Government has recently added measures to the Crime and Police Organization Law that considers child abuse.
“This is a step taken in the right direction, but more studies, including the creation of a legal definition of child criminal abuse. This will help children to protect and defend against prosecution during legal cases.”
“Barnardo works with thousands of children who are exploited in the United Kingdom, and we know that children are often not able to access support services and are at risk of continuous damage.
“We call on the government to invest in expert services to ensure that all children who have been abused or exploited needed.”
