Shropshire's county lines problem

Helen Morgan urged the Home Secretary to focus resources on tackling county lines and child exploitation as she highlighted an increase in drugs running in North Shropshire.

The Liberal Democrat MP called for the police to work closely with agencies to shut down county lines gangs that often target vulnerable youngsters to move, store and deal drugs in rural areas like Shropshire.

Helen noted that teachers and health professionals had reported an increase in county lines activity in North Shropshire as gangs focus on grooming and exploiting local children.

County lines refers to the transport of drugs across the UK, often from larger urban areas to rural places like North Shropshire, by gangs that exploit vulnerable people. The county line refers to the phoneline used to take drugs orders.

The gangs behind the operation often take over local properties belonging to vulnerable people and use them to stash their drugs in a practice known as cuckooing.

Speaking in the House of Commons, MP Helen Morgan said, “North Shropshire is a safe place to live, I'm very glad to say. But headteachers and health professionals have reported to me recently an increase in county lines drug-running activity and child exploitation. So can the Home Secretary confirm to me that North Shropshire will be in receipt of additional police resource, particularly at nighttime, and the multi-agency approach we need to close down these county lines gangs?”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman responded, “Well there has been considerable success through our county lines program over the last few years shutting down over 2,000 county lines across the country and making thousands of arrests of those people who have been caught up and are propagating this evil behaviour of drug supply. It's absolutely vital we go further and that this success reaches every part of the country.”

Footage of the exchange can be seen here.