More than 500 county lines arrests

Between May 13 and 20 police forces across the UK carried out a crackdown co-ordinated by the National County Lines Coordination Centre, seizing £312,649 in cash and 46 weapons.

Across the week, 500 men and 86 women were arrested, 519 vulnerable adults and 364 children were safeguarded and 30 people were referred as potential victims of slavery or human trafficking.

There were 46 weapons seized, including four guns, swords, machetes, an axe, knives, samurai swords, and a crossbow. Drugs including cocaine worth £176,780, crack worth £36,550 and heroin worth £17,950 were also confiscated.

County lines sees drug dealers from big cities like Birmingham and Liverpool travel to smaller areas like Shropshire.

Some take over the homes of vulnerable people in the area as a base of operation.

West Mercia Police made 19 arrests and helped five vulnerable people in Hereford and Worcestershire.

National Crime Agency (NCA) County Lines lead Nikki Holland said: "Tackling county lines and the misery it causes is a national law enforcement priority and these results demonstrate the power of a whole-system response to a complex problem that we're seeing in every area of the UK.

"We know that criminal networks use high levels of violence, exploitation and abuse to ensure compliance from the vulnerable people they employ to do the day-to-day drug supply activity."

"Groomed"

Young people and vulnerable adults are "groomed" and forced into a life of crime by members of county lines drug gangs, that courier banned substances from urban centres into more rural areas, taking orders on phone lines.

Ms Holland added: "We are making progress in our fight against County Lines but we need the help of professionals working with people at risk of being involved in or exploited by County Lines.

"It's the nurses, teachers, social workers, GPs, and anyone who works with young or vulnerable people, that can really help to make a difference."

Signs that a young person may have fallen prey to a county lines gang are suddenly having new unaffordable belongings, going missing a lot, having friendships with older people or having unexplained injuries.

The National Crime Agency estimates there are around 2,000 county lines gangs in the UK, and every police force in England and Wales is affected by their activity.

The number of cases of modern slavery involving UK minors went from 676 in 2017 to 1,421 in 2018.

Iryna Pona, policy manager at The Children's Society, said: "It is good to see police are stepping up their fight against the horrors of county lines trafficking with enforcement operations like these.

"But everyone, including professionals, needs to know how to spot the signs that something is wrong and accept that these young people are not troublemakers, but vulnerable children who are being groomed and need help."