County Lines Programme overview
Updated 16 December 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/county-lines-programme/county-lines-programme-overview
County lines
To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade and take back our streets, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation, including County Lines.
‘County lines’ is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”.
It is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation, as these gangs are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.
Home Office programme
Through our County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and providing specialist support for children and young people to escape child criminal exploitation.
The Programme package includes funding to support:
- the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC)
- increased disruption on the rail networks by the British Transport Police’s County Lines Taskforce
- targeted operational activity against lines, including dedicated County Lines Taskforces in 4 major exporting force areas:
- Greater Manchester Police
- Metropolitan Police Service
- Merseyside Police
- West Midlands Police
- investment in new technology including Automatic Number Plate Recognition
- increased support for victims of county lines and child criminal exploitation
Impact
Since July 2024, policing activity through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 400 county line closures, including the charge of over 200 deal line holders, 500 arrests and 800 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people.
The latest County Lines Programme data is available on GOV.UK.