Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

County Lines Drugs Gangs

Monday 12 July 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Department invested over 65 million since 2019 to tackle county lines and drug supply.
  • Minister confirmed local police forces will continue to have resources to tackle drug dealing.
  • Honorable member highlighted exploitation of young people by county lines gangs during lockdown.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jack Brereton Con
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The MP is concerned about the proliferation of county lines drug gangs.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to help dismantle county lines drugs gangs. The question highlights the serious nature of these operations and asks for specific actions being taken by the government.

Answer from Kit Malthouse

Since 2019, we have invested over £65 million to tackle county lines and drug supply, including £40 million committed this year. Through our county lines programme, we have become smarter in our activity against these ruthless gangs, resulting in more than 1,000 lines being closed, more than 5,800 arrests and more than 1,500 vulnerable adults and children safeguarded.

Answered
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Q2 Antony Higginbotham
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The MP is concerned about the resources and support available to local police forces in tackling drug-related crimes.

Question

Drug dealing is a despicable crime that preys on the vulnerable, damages communities and causes misery to so many. Locally, the Burnley and Padiham neighbourhood policing team has set up a taskforce to tackle this issue. Will the Minister confirm that local police forces will continue to have the resources and support they need really to tackle this issue and rid our communities of it? Will he meet me and our police and crime commissioner, Andrew Snowden, to see what more we can do?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

I am always happy to meet police and crime commissioners and their Members of Parliament to talk about fighting crime, and I am very pleased that my hon. Friend is so embedded in the collective mission to reduce crime in his constituency. He is quite right that we are having enormous success with county lines, and that is off the back of significant Government investment. I am hopeful that police and crime commissioners can see the wider benefits of that programme in suppression of violence in their areas and will supplement the work that we are doing, but he should be assured that we will be making a very strong case in the spending round for continued investment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Meeting request was not addressed

How: Under Review

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Q3 Florence Eshalomi Labour (Co-op) Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Crime & Law Enforcement Children & Families
Context

The MP is concerned about the issue of child criminal exploitation within county lines drug gangs.

Question

I thank the Minister for his reply. He mentioned that the Home Office and officials are getting smarter, but so are gang members. They are getting so smart that even during lockdown they had the sheer audacity to use our young people to carry drugs up and down the country dressed as key workers. They are always one step ahead. They will continue to exploit our children until we have a clear definition on child criminal exploitation. It is estimated that over 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being criminally exploited. What additional steps will the Minister be taking to ensure the Government put their full weight behind addressing this real and serious issue?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

The hon. Lady rightly highlights one of the truly despicable aspects of county lines, which is the horrible exploitation and often victimisation of young people who are driven into the awful activity. She might be interested to know that we are very focused not necessarily on them but on those who control and victimise them. Much of the activity taking place in the three big forces we are funding—Liverpool, London and in the west midlands—is in targeting those line controllers who drive that exploitation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps not fully addressed

How: Under Review

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Q4 Jack Brereton Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about the use of abandoned and derelict buildings for illegal cannabis cultivation.

Question

There have been a number of illegal cannabis farms busted recently by Staffordshire police. Many are in derelict and abandoned buildings, including the empty former Woolworths building in Longton, which was raided for the second time in under two years recently, finding 1,500 marijuana plants. Will my hon. Friend look at what more can be done to tackle the use of empty and derelict buildings by organised gangs to cultivate drugs?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

My hon. Friend is known for his innovative approach to policy and he certainly raises something that merits further investigation. He is quite right that we have seen a growth in the number of cannabis farms across the country in all sorts of buildings. Notwithstanding the drugs they produce, there is very often disgusting oppression and victimisation taking place inside—people who are trafficked across the world to tend the plants—and we need to do something about that as well.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions not detailed

How: Under Review

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