South Wales Police joined by partners across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot for operation to tackle county lines

South Wales Police joined by partners across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot for operation to tackle county lines

A multi-agency response to tackling county lines criminality across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot saw a number of warrants executed, arrests made and drugs seized last week.

Officers in Western BCU were joined by colleagues from British Transport Police (BTP) and partners from the local authorities, housing providers, and drug treatment agencies for a number of days of action under the operational name Op Cristo, which forms part of South Wales Police’s force-wide Operation Avalanche.  

The unique approach saw representatives from each agency joining the daily briefings to share intelligence, as each organisation makes tackling county lines and protecting vulnerable residents, a priority for them. 

Special Constables and Student Volunteers assisted in carrying out targeted patrols and awareness-raising leaflet drops while housing officers and the neighbourhood policing teams joined up for patrol-alongs, as a direct result of the dynamic intelligence-sharing.

A number of ‘cuckoo watches’ – whereby people who have been identified as potentially vulnerable and susceptible to drugs gangs who may target and take over their homes are visited by officers – have also been carried out.

The operation also sought the assistance of the Automatic Facial Recognition (AFR) team, a passive drugs dog and his handler, and community safety teams who all assisted BTP with a high-visibility operation at Swansea Central train station.

The days of action, which ran alongside daily policing activity yielded a number of positive results, including:

• Nine arrests for offences including possession of Class A and Class B drugs with the intent to supply, drugs possession and failure to appear at court. Among those arrested were two youths believed to be involved in county lines drug supply.
• Four drug warrants executed
• 20 stop-searches
• Multiple people tested by a drug itemiser at Swansea Central Train Station
• Three cannabis street warnings issued

Chief Inspector Mathew Lewis, who led the operation, said: “We work closely with our partners on a daily basis, but this was the first time we have taken this approach for our days of action, and it has been a great success.

“From the very first briefing, it was clear that every partner is committed to tackling county lines, and ridding our communities of drug dealers and protecting those who are vulnerable or who fall victim to their ruthless exploitation.

“These days of action were primarily about raising awareness of county lines amongst the public, getting people to recognise the signs and ensuring people know who to share their suspicions with.

“We know people are often scared or reluctant to report to police, but we want people to know that they can also talk to their local housing officer, for example. The important thing is that they tell someone, because we can’t act upon things we don’t know about.

“I’d also like to reassure the communities of Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot that this was not a one-off operation. We are committed to tackling county lines and making our communities safer and work to do this is a daily priority.”

Anyone with any concerns or suspicions about illegal drug activity in their community should contact 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.