A record number of gang leaders have been charged for ‘county lines’ offences in the past year following targeted police action through the government’s County Lines Programme.

More than 1,120 senior gang members have been charged and over 2,300 ‘deal lines’ closed in the 12 months since July 2024, due to targeted policing of key transport networks and investment in automatic number plate recognition technology.

This period has seen the highest annual numbers since the government’s County Lines Programme began in 2019.

Stabbings in areas most impacted by county lines have also reduced by almost 20% because of the programme, according to a recent independent report by the London School of Economics.

Tackling this kind of drug supply and criminal exploitation is fundamental to the govern

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