A police force is issuing criminals with yellow cards in an attempt to crack down on county lines drug dealing. 

Cheshire Police’s ‘Operation Yellow Card’ initiative will apply to people from outside the county, who are not thought to have a legitimate reason for being in the Cheshire area.

It will also be applied to people who live in Cheshire and are suspected to be carrying out criminal activity.

The scheme will work in the same way as a football game and see suspects issued with a card if they are found to be ‘up to no good’.  

Despite a crackdown by forces, figures from the National County Lines Coordination Centre show 800 to 1,100 phone lines advertising drugs are active every month.

Gangs are recruiting armies of youngsters to replace those arrested for dealing, with children as young as 11 being intimidated into becoming ‘runners’.

A study earlier this year revealed hospital workers reported an increase in the number of males aged 21 and under attending A&E in the south of England who had been raped by gang members.

Another employee said young women in particular were being groomed online and coerced into taking and sharing explicit images of themselves. 

Cheshire Police will be issuing people with yellow cards in what the force hopes will encourage crooks to leave 'County Lines' drug dealing after receiving a first warning

Cheshire Police will be issuing people with yellow cards in what the force hopes will encourage crooks to leave 'County Lines' drug dealing after receiving a first warning

Cheshire Police will be issuing people with yellow cards in what the force hopes will encourage crooks to leave ‘County Lines’ drug dealing after receiving a first warning

Police hope this course of action will deter criminals as well as help reassure the wider public that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated (stock picture)

Police hope this course of action will deter criminals as well as help reassure the wider public that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated (stock picture)

Police hope this course of action will deter criminals as well as help reassure the wider public that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated (stock picture)

What are County Lines gangs? 

County Lines is a term used for organised illegal drug-dealing networks, usually controlled by a person using a single telephone number or ‘deal line’.

They operate out of major UK cities such as London, Liverpool and Birmingham, and they distribute illegal drugs across rural and suburban counties via ‘runners’.

Vulnerable children and adults are recruited as runners to transport drugs and cash all over the country, so that the criminals behind it can remain detached and less likely to be detected.

This crime is often associated with other serious crimes such as sexual exploitation, violence, money laundering and human trafficking.

Criminal gangs establish a base in a particular location, sometimes by taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion in a practice referred to as ‘cuckooing’ (see below).

They then target vulnerable local children and adults to become involved in selling drugs through a process of grooming.

Once someone is involved with a criminal gang, it becomes difficult for them to escape.

Last year, around 2,000 drug networks were active and at its peak between November 2019 and October 2020, up to 4,002 county lines existed. 

Source: Crimestoppers

 

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The North-West of England force said cards can be handed out across their county ‘anywhere from the roads network to the streets’.

Just like in football, if they are stopped for a second time having not left Cheshire and found to be still ‘up to no good’, a second card will be issued.

Following this, a range of options will be considered including dispersal notices and civil orders.

They stress ‘a crime will not have to be in progress for this action to be taken’ but will be using intelligence to target individuals who are known to be linked with crime.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: ‘The message is clear, if you are coming into Cheshire to commit a crime we are watching you and you are not welcome.

‘If we believe you are involved in criminality we will target you, and when we issue the Yellow Card we will explain to you why we are targeting you.

‘This is not about stopping people indiscriminately and issuing them with a yellow card unnecessarily.

‘It is about disrupting and deterring crime to help prevent Cheshire residents becoming a victim of crime.’

Police said a record will be kept on those people spoken to, and this information will be reviewed should any crimes subsequently come to light. 

As well as deterring criminals, the Constabulary hopes this course of action will help reassure the wider public that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.

Chief Constable Roberts added: ‘We’re making Cheshire a hostile place for criminals.

‘The law-abiding citizens of Cheshire can rest assured we will continue to target and catch those people who think they can come into our county and commit crime.

‘Criminals from outside of the county might think that travelling into Cheshire gives them an advantage, whereas through a range of methods we actually identify them quickly.

‘Through initiatives like this, we’re determined to make life as difficult as possible for criminals.

‘You need to know that if you are issued with a yellow card we will be proactively targeting your criminal activity should you return to Cheshire.’

Source: Daily Mail

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