Boris Johnson vows 'county lines' drugs gangs will be 'wound up'
Boris Johnson vows ‘county lines’ drugs gangs will be ‘totally wound up’ saying they are ‘killing young kids’
- Boris Johnson has vowed that county lines gangs will be ‘totally wound up’
- The PM said cross-country drugs gangs were responsible for ‘killing young kids’
- The government has pledged to make law and order one of its key priorities
Boris Johnson today vowed that ‘county lines’ gangs will be ‘totally wound up’ – saying they are ‘killing young kids’.
The PM said the criminal networks were ‘reducing quality of life’ for people across the UK and had to be tackled.
The tough message, in an interview with BBC Breakfast, came as the government makes law and order one of its key priorities.
The National Crime Agency has identified some 2,000 individual county lines ‘deal lines’ that are controlled by criminal kingpins – with the largest number operating out of London.
The PM said the criminal networks were ‘reducing quality of life’ for people across the UK and had to be tackled
They use children as young as 11 to distribute drugs in other parts of the country.
Mr Johnson said: ‘I want to see crime come down. I want to see the county lines drugs gangs wound up, rolled up.
‘They are reducing the quality of life for people across our country, they are killing young kids. I want to see that thing totally wound up.’
The police watchdog for England and Wales last week urged the government to crack down on rules that allow people to buy the phones anonymously.
The watchdog called for a Home Office review of the ‘criminal abuse’ of pay-as-you-go mobile phones, which can be bought for as little as £10 from high street stores.
Officers suggested people ‘should have to register personal details when buying a mobile phone or replacement SIM card’ to prevent the handsets and numbers being used for drug dealing, the findings by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said.
In its report looking at how forces tackle the gangs, inspectors recommended the Home Office carry out a review of the criminal abuse of mobile phones which should ‘explore’ the regulations of the communications industry.
The National Crime Agency has identified some 2,000 individual county lines ‘deal lines’ that are controlled by criminal kingpins – with the largest number operating out of London (file image)
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