Calls for drugs to be legalised as Sussex Police battles ‘key threat’ of county lines dealing

Radical reforms to drugs policy are needed to combat the scourge of county lines dealing, according to a drugs reform charity.
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Home Office figures show Sussex recorded among the highest number of referrals for county lines exploitation in the UK last year.

County lines drug dealing is where drugs are transported across counties by organised crime networks, usually exploiting children and vulnerable people to operate as couriers.

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The Home Office’s figures showed there were 49 referrals made to Sussex Police in 2019 relating to potential victims of trafficking or slavery for county lines.

The Tactical Enforcement Unit bring in large hauls, such as this £35,000 find in SaltdeanThe Tactical Enforcement Unit bring in large hauls, such as this £35,000 find in Saltdean
The Tactical Enforcement Unit bring in large hauls, such as this £35,000 find in Saltdean

More than half of these – 26 – were British children.

Harvey Slade, research and policy officer at Transform Drug Policy Foundation, said radical changes were needed to stifle the ‘unparalleled source of revenue’ brought by the illegal drugs trade.

“The current approach is to send police in to make arrests and seize the drugs, but we know, after 50 years of trying, that this doesn’t work,” he said.

“These new statistics show that organised crime groups are exploiting young and vulnerable people to avoid detection by law enforcement, and maximise profits.

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“In order to combat this horrific level of exploitation, we need to take back control and legally regulate the drug market. We need to respond to this issue as we do with legal supply chains: by providing reporting and monitoring procedures, and by keeping vulnerable children out of the trade.”

County lines drug dealing often occurs where gangs from cities move into rural areas, bringing with them an increase in violence.

In a speech given to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners last month, Sussex’s PCC Katy Bourne said some county lines dealers had pretended to be key workers to avoid detection.

A police spokesman said the force ‘was not in a position to comment’ on legalising drugs.

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Detective Superintendent Stu Hale said the issues remains a ‘key threat’ for Sussex Police.

“These drugs dealers continue to target both young and vulnerable people, exploiting them as part of their network,” he said.

“We work in collaboration with other agencies to tackle those behind the lines and also to support the young, the vulnerable and others affected. This work involves schools, health and social care services, charities and others who all have key roles to play.

“Among those are the London boroughs, who we liaise with to support young people from outside of our area and we regularly work in conjunction with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service to both understand and tackle the problems emanating from the capital.

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“We continue every day to disrupt dealers who try to cause harm by dealing dangerous drugs across our communities. Our officers investigate and prosecute, working relentlessly and targeting those who would bring harm to local people, including often the most vulnerable. Local crime is often a direct result of major drug distribution via county lines.

“Our Tactical Enforcement Unit, which has three teams across the force, is pro-actively targeting these criminal groups, working alongside local Prevention Teams and Investigators. Every day our activity sends a clear message to drug dealers that they cannot expect to go undetected in Sussex.”