Cross border county lines gangs being tackled in regional operation
Communities across Dorset are being urged to come forward and report any drug-related activity to help build an intelligence-rich picture as part of a regional campaign to disrupt county lines gangs.
The regional intensification campaign – called Operation Scorpion – will be happening across the South West with exact locations and timings being withheld.
Op Scorpion, now in its sixth iteration since inception, harnesses the collective powers of the region to disrupt drug-related crime and ensure young people and their families are warned about the dangers of exploitation and provided with guidance on how to spot the signs. Police and crime commissioners from Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset have agreed with their respective chief constables that their Forces, supported by the South West Regional Organised Crime unit (SWROCU), would combine operational powers to tackle cross-border drugs supply, drug-related crime and associated anti-social behaviour as part of this campaign.
Information and intelligence from the public is a key tool to enabling Dorset Police to focus operational activity on those involved in county lines drugs gangs who ply drugs in our communities and target vulnerable people. County lines is where drugs are transported across the country, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced by gangs.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said, “We are determined to continue to keep our communities safe by relentlessly targeting those criminals and gangs who bring drugs into our county, causing misery to the public and some of the most vulnerable individuals, including young people.
“I am encouraging the public to report anything they have seen or heard involving drug-related crime to us so we can act. We rely on information from the public to help provide us with a picture of what is taking place in our communities, including suspicious activity, drug-related incidents or vulnerable adults and children being exploited.
“Information from the public is often the final piece of the jigsaw for us and is therefore of vital importance. To help make it easier for the public to report their concerns to us, we have created a new intelligence reporting portal on our force website to help make it easier for the public to report their concerns.”
Speaking about this next phase of Op Scorpion, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said, “Operation Scorpion will be getting back to its grass roots this time round - reacting to the information and intelligence that local communities share about what’s going on in their area. Dorset Police and the other forces and operational partners involved in Scorpion will be intensely proactive and will take action against drug dealers and illegal drug use in your area.
“To anyone who wants to see direct action taken against drug dealers, I would encourage you to share the knowledge you have about what’s going on, share that important local intelligence and help the police to take action on your behalf.
“Dorset Police will not hesitate in crushing county lines and tackling those involved in drug crime, the perpetrators will be arrested, they will go to court, and they will go to prison.”
You can report information about drug supply and misuse, at www.dorset.police.uk and hit the ‘Report Your Intelligence’ icon on the homepage to share what you know. Alternatively, you can report anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling on 0800 555 111 or via their website.
