County Lines: North Yorkshire Police and British Transport Police swoop must be lauded
Plenty has been written, said and observed about the state of policing in this country, the shortcomings of the thin blue line lamented forlornly. Little of the criticism is unwarranted; owing to the amount of scrutiny placed upon police officers and the forces they represent, where failure occurs there is evidence to prove as much.
Consistently, though, this newspaper is steadfast in reminding the public that the vast majority of the rank-and-file officers who commit to a life of serving and protecting the public are decent, honest, courageous people whose selflessness, on a daily basis, sees their safety compromised in the interest of others’.
Which is why, where instances of success occur, it is incumbent upon us all to contemplate how fortunate we are to be looked after by law enforcement officers – mums, dads, sisters and brothers just as we all are – who not only care about the work they do but take great pride in being the best in the world.
Such an example comes today as it is revealed the elite county lines taskforce belonging to British Transport Police, in partnership with North Yorkshire Police, has thwarted part of an operation built on ruthless violence and exploitation.
County lines gangs move drugs around the country strategically, seeking to evade detection by exploiting gaps in intelligence gathering and sharing between forces. Grooming and recruiting so-called mules – children – to do their dirty work, they peddle more than just drugs throughout the country, dishing out fear, intimidation and brutality to those in its clutches. The malignant individuals at the top of county lines gangs think nothing of exploiting vulnerable, isolated children, recruited to mete out gangland so-called justice, amongst other things; safeguarding those children and arresting their groomers is crucial work.