Police cannot 'arrest their way' out of drug gangs

Norfolk Constabulary says it has helped to convict more than 100 gang members since 2019

A police force has warned it cannot "arrest its way" out of the problem of county lines drug dealing.

Norfolk Constabulary said it had "significantly reduced" the number of lines operating in its area.

The force said it was aware of 20 lines still running across the county, compared with about 75 in 2019.

On Tuesday, 11 members of a county lines gang were jailed for running a major drugs operation in Norwich.

Norfolk Constabulary was commended at Norwich Crown Court for its investigation.

But Det Insp Craig Bidwell said: "We're never going to be able to solve this problem entirely on our own.

"But I do feel that we're in a really good place in Norfolk compared to where we were in 2019."

Top row, from left to right: Jamie Proctor, Edward Quigley, Tyler Murphy, Nigel Bestford. Bottom row, from left to right: Calvin Garwe, Chloe Levy, Lee Cook and Liam Bolt

County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

Norfolk Constabulary first started alongside other forces on a dedicated operation to tackle the problem in 2019.

Operation Orochi was set-up by the Metropolitan Police to target gangs across England.

Norfolk Constabulary said that since then it had helped to convict 122 people, with custodial sentences totalling 450 years.

"We're now in a much better position," added Det Insp Bidwell.

"We understand our problem, we know what that picture looks like and we can direct our resources properly."

The force said it was also supporting vulnerable children and adults coerced into working for gangs.

Det Insp Bidwell said anyone concerned about friends or family members at risk of being caught up in county lines should contact the police for help.

Home Office statistics showed that since 2019 police forces across Britain had closed down 4,755 lines and had referred 7,267 people for safeguarding.